Kunoichi Jinchuuriki
by dangerousnightfires
Summary: Every day is pretty much the same routine for the 5th Kazekage these days…but something is about to change as history is about to repeat itself again as two beings, bound together by fate, find each other once again. Rated M for future chapters. GaaraxOC
1. Prologue

**A/N: This is a short prologue for my upcoming story. It's my first story here so R&R. Future chapters will be longer. **

Lightning flashed across the darkened sky as the two lone figures glared at each other from across the bloodied land. They stood as two lone, yet living, monuments on a field of corpses. They stared; one gripping a halberd made from the minerals of the Earth in his bloodied hand as he leaned on it a grin spreading slowly across his features; the other gripping two blood soaked katana made of an unbreakable crystal in her pale hands as she glared hatefully at this man's grin.

He charged at her knowing what he would do, knowing what she would do, and knowing why. She charged at him knowing what he knew, and not caring. They had done this before, countless times in fact, always getting the same result. They fought relentlessly, tirelessly, passionately. They loved the bloodshed and hated it.

They paused for an instant; his weapon caught in hers, and looked into each other's eyes, which was all it took. He stared at her icy violet eyes, into them, seeing the same thing he always did when this happened: a cold, senseless blood lust. She stared back at him staring into his golden eyes rimmed by black lids. She stared into those eyes wondering how he could make such a warm color look so cold. She saw his grin acquire a mischievous twist and felt her back forced up against a hard wall of sand. Before she could think his one hand slipped from the halberd and pinned her one wrist to the wall forcing her to drop the katana in that hand.

She glared at him as his other hand did the same to her other wrist and saw his feral eyes scan over her body. She knew what he was seeing. He saw her deep purple hair, done up artistically so it wouldn't get in her way during the battle, tinted with red from those she had slain. He saw her lips curled back in a vicious snarl revealing those oh-so-inhuman canines; her ice blue kimono, embroidered with the image of a griffin with ten tails from the hem all the way up to her hip, torn and bloodied with her blood as well as others; he saw everything.

He smirked at her revealing his own inhuman canines as he saw her staring at him. Like she knew what he saw; he knew what she saw. She saw his raccoon-like eyes and his devilish grin framed by his spiky and unruly sand colored hair stained red with blood from the battle. She saw his blood red robe, embroidered with the image of a raccoon-like creature, the tanuki, torn and slashed. She saw everything and he knew it as he stared at her smaller yet fierce and strong form pressed against the wall and leaned in closer to her so that his forehead was pressed against hers.

"I hate you." She snarled at him making him chuckle a low and deep sound.

"And I hate you." He said and, for the first time, she grinned at him something in her eyes changing.

"You are a pain in my ass…" she said pulling away from him easily since, in all truth, she was stronger than him.

"Then why didn't you kill me? We both know you could have done it…could still do it." the man stated and she looked at him with eyes that said it all.

"Don't make me say it again…you already know." She begged and he smiled wickedly.

"Oh…but I really want you to…besides…I won…and I demand a prize." He said and leaned closer to her ear and gently but firmly nipped at it earning a squeak from her and spoke pleadingly, "Please…say it…before it's too late."

She looked up into his black rimmed eyes…deep into his golden orbs with her own violet ones and smiled.

"I'm yours…all yours…and no one else's my blood stained warrior prince." She said as they finally felt the other presences around them, surrounding them and he smiled.

"That's right…you're mine, not his…oh and one more thing…" he said as he picked up his halberd and she her two katana.

"Yes?" she asked as they got into a battle stance back to back.

"I'm yours…all yours…and no one else's my blood stained warrior queen. Remember that forever." He said as the figures started running and screaming 'Traitors!' at the two tired demon lovers, "Remember that."

"I will." She said and he grabbed her by her waist and kissed her one last time as he transported her away from the battle and she shouted, "I will always find you! I will travel the ends of the Earth just to find you!"

"Say it again!" he called as he joined battle with the henchmen of his rival, the one who sought to own _his_ warrior queen.

"I'm yours…and no one else's!" she called to the winds one last time.

**A/N: Next chapter will be out soon and it will have Gaara and many other characters you know and love (and/or hate) in it.**


	2. Chapter 1: Kira

**A/N: I'm suffering from a little case of insomnia right now so I figured I'd put up Chapter 1. I do not own anything except the plot...unfortunately.**

Chapter 1: Kira

"_Why can't people figure these things out on there own_?" he thought to himself as he sat at his desk doing more paperwork than he'd ever seen before.

"_**Because they're human, kid. You're their leader so they'll ask you everything from where to build a fucking bird house to what color the new academy mascot should be.**_" Said the ever present demon inside him, "_**If they do ask that make sure you tell them you want me as the mascot.**_"

He sighed and rolled his eyes as he finished the last one, got up to stretch and stared out the window at his village, wondering if they would truly accept him. He doubted it. Just then someone ran into the room.

"Kazekage-sama, forgive me for barging in like this…" the man panted and the flame haired ninja just went on staring impassively through black rimmed green eyes.

"Yes?" he asked slightly irritated.

"There is an urgent situation at the outer wall; most of the men stationed there are dead. We're being attacked, Kazekage-sama."

This caught his attention and he walked out of the room getting his gourd on the way and instructing the man to tell him more.

"It's strange. There's a ninja there too, but fighting both sides…ours and the intruders. It's like she doesn't know who to trust…she's very good."

When he arrived at the entrance to his village all he saw was dead bodies lying everywhere drenching the sand in blood. Something triggered in the back of his head although he couldn't quite place it…something was wrong with this. He then realized that all the bodies were of his shinobi…none others. His brother soon ran out behind him after being alerted that something was not right.

"What is it Gaara?" he asked looking around, fingers and puppets poised and ready.

"Something's wrong." Gaara stated then heard the faint sounds of a battle off in the distance a bit.

He and his brother ran towards the sound to see a woman struggling with a large man who was wielding a long katana. She was so tired she could barely move yet Gaara sensed something in her that was dangerous. It was something to do with her chakra, he could sense it, and realized that she wasn't drained of chakra she was just physically exhausted. He was about to use his sand to stop the fighting but Shukaku said something.

"_**Don't.**_" the demon stated and prevented him from using the sand.

"_Why?_" Gaara asked as the fighting continued.

"_**She's going to win. If you make a move right now she'll try to kill you and the annoying one you call a brother.**_"

"_How do you know?_"

"_**I just do. Watch.**_" The demon stated and Gaara looked at the two figures and saw the woman trying not to be killed.

Kankuro made a move to help but Gaara raised a hand as a signal to not move. Kankuro listened and the two of them watched as the man closed in. In a series of moves too fast for the brothers to follow the woman managed to take the katana away from the man. In one quick move she beheaded the man just for the two brothers to see the whole body disappear in a puff of smoke. She collapsed after that, dropping the katana and just falling to the ground.

"Who is that?" Kankuro asked.

"The problem." Gaara answered as his sand shot towards the figure and the figure looked up at him as the sand engulfed it.

He brought the person closer amazed that it wasn't fighting back. He looked down to see a girl about his age (19 in this story) looking up at him so blankly he couldn't even tell what color eyes she had. She _looked_ human, but he knew better. Her long very dark purple hair and chakra gave that away and so did the few black feathers that were sticking out of her hair.

"Oooh, she's hot." Kankuro said and Gaara death glared him, loosening his sand from around her as he did and she just sank to the desert floor, "Is she a human puppet?"

"No." he said as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder; Kankuro stared at him shocked, "She's has no power left, she's harmless...for now. Get that katana. I want to know if there's anything about it that can tell us who she is and where the other intruders cam from."

His brother only nodded and followed behind him knowing better than to question his actions. Gaara himself barely knew why he didn't kill her; something prevented him from doing it.

"_**You're getting soft**_." Shukaku said in his usual teasing manner from within then quieted as if thinking.

"_I am not. Shut up_." He said but could not deny that some part of him needed to talk to her, know her name, "_What can you tell me about her? You're being quiet and you're usually more perverted then Kankuro._"

"_**I have my reasons…now get her somewhere safe before something else bad happens.**_" The tanuki stated.

As he walked back to his office, confused at what Shukaku said, he heard her begin to sing, so softly that his brother heard nothing.

"I am frozen, frozen, frozen. I am frozen, frozen, frozen." Was all she said over and over until they got to his office, leaving Kankuro behind; then she started singing something different, her voice seeming to change a bit, "Sing me to sleep, rock me away, back and forth, swing and sway. Please don't leave me here alone for all the bad things to touch. I am alone, where are you? I am frozen, cold, frozen."

Gaara stared at her, her words hitting him deep. Then all of a sudden she snapped out of it. She looked at him scared and backed up into the wall as far as she could.

"I'm sorry! Don't hurt me please don't!" she begged, "I didn't mean to! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

He looked down at her as she tried moving further into the wall. He took a step towards her but jumped back when two large black feathered wings appeared and formed a shield around her. After awhile she lowered one of her wings and stared at him.

"W-why?" she asked.

"I could ask the same." He said and sat on his desk.

"Why didn't you kill me? Or hit me?" she asked staring at him with two big brown eyes filled with tears.

"Why did you kill all of my guards?"

"Why are you still asking questions?"

"Why are you here?"

"What is love?" she asked pointing to his forehead.

His face instantly got a shocked expression and he looked at her.

"I don't really know."

"Why not? It's on your head; you should know what it is." She said and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why do you ask so many questions?"

"Why do you?" she asked

"I'm the Kazekage, you attacked my village, killed my men…it's my job to see to why you did then stop you from doing it…and doing lots of paperwork." He said and she laughed which for some odd reason made him feel strange, "What is your name?"

"Tsukino Kira …I'm a monster." She said looking at her reflection in the window.  
"I am Sabaku no Gaara…you are not a monster." He said kneeling down by her and she cringed, "I won't hurt you, but until I know why you did what you did you are staying with me."

"Why?" he smirked at that, "I didn't kill all of your men…the Hunter nin clones did too…but where am I? What is this place? Why did you bring me here? Why do you have Love on your head if you don't know what it is? You're eyes are strange looking…why?"

He tried hard not to start laughing at her non-stop questions, which was rather confusing to him since he rarely laughed, and stood up offering her his hand and she took it but nearly fell back down since she was so weak.

"I can't walk." She said, "Kaminari took it all."

"_**I did it for your own good child…**_" the demon inside her stated wearily as Kira's eyes started to glaze over and stare into space, "_**You'll be much stronger if you listen to me for once instead of trying to push me out.**_"

"_You just want to kill…_" Kira stated as Gaara scooped her up in his arms, "_You just want to spill people's blood…why are you so angry at everything?_"

"_**You'd be angry too if you've been through what I have. Just because I'm a demon does not mean I don't care about things…why else am I trying so hard to keep you alive?**_" The demon asked wearily.

"_Because if I die so do you. As for the caring thing all you care about is killing and bloodshed._" Kira stated defiantly.

"_**After 19 years together you'd think we'd stop arguing by now…now I do admit I love a good killing spree with plenty of bloodshed…but so does the Kazekage here…**_"

"_What do you mean?_" Kira asked looking up at Gaara who was looking down at her curiously and just a tiny bit shocked.

"_Those days are in my past, demon._" He said and started walking home and Kira looked at him shocked and confused.

"_**Unfortunately…**_" Shukaku stated, "_**She's confused kid…**_"

"_I am like you Kira. I have a demon sealed inside me too, Shukaku the One-Tailed Tanuki. You can talk to us like this because we're touching and we both have a strong bond with our demons…whether or not we like it._" The Kazekage stated still walking out of the building ignoring all the stares and giving death glares to the ones he couldn't ignore, "_As for the arguing…it never stops completely._"

"_How long have you been listening?_" Kira asked, too nervous to speak out loud as well as feeling that Gaara might want to keep this conversation private.

"_I've been listening since I picked you up. To answer your questions from before…you are in Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand in the Wind Country. I'm assuming you already know what a Hidden village is. I'm the Kazekage, like I said before, so I'm the boss so to speak. I brought you to my office since it was closer than my house. My eyes are 'strange' because of Shukaku. He's raccoon-like so I have raccoon-like eyes. You should know that all Jinchuuriki have at least one trait of their demon inside since you are one. I'm guessing yours is the hair since I've never seen anyone with purple hair before…pink I've seen and I've seen blue, but never purple._" He went on and looked down at her looking around and caught a small purple glint in her eyes, "_Maybe the eyes too._"

"_You never answered why you didn't kill me or why you have Love carved on your head._" She said and glared at him a bit making him glare back.

"_You are infuriating, woman._" He said and she narrowed her eyes a bit, "_I didn't kill you because something stopped me. It might have been that you didn't fight back and I saw no point in killing you since you were helpless. I really don't know the reason yet. As for the other thing…drop it._"

"_Gaara-sama…I'm getting the strange feeling that Shukaku and Kaminari are hiding something important right now._"

"_**What could we possibly be hiding?**_" Shukaku asked indifferently.

"_**Everything.**_ _** It's what we do…besides…I don't want to go through the same thing again even though it's already started….**_"

"_I'm getting confused…my head hurts and I'm tired._" Kira stated.

"_**You asked.**_" The demon stated.  
"_**Shut up and go back down into her so she can rest.**_" Shukaku and Gaara growled confusing him.

"_**You've gotten soft Shukaku…how very…disappointing...and yet…no…I hate you.**_" The demon stated as they all felt it sink deeper and disappear from Kira's conscious state.

"_Thank you, Gaara-sama, Shukaku-sama. Thank you._" She stated and drifted off to sleep as she laid her head on his chest.

**A/N: Chapter 2 might not be up for a few days, so R&R to tell me what you think...pweeaaasssee? Oh and from now on, I'm either going to open or close each chapter with a random quote that either inspired me or I think is relevant to the chapter.**

Curiosity will conquer fear even more than bravery will. ~James Stephens, _The Crock of Gold_


	3. Chapter 2: Family

**A/N: Okay here's chapter two. It's longer than chapter one I think, so enjoy, read, and review.**

**Chapter 2: Family**

When they got to the house Gaara shared with his siblings he took her up to his room and laid her down. He then set to work bandaging the wounds on her legs and arms. After he was done he sat on a chair across from the bed staring at her sleeping form all through the night.

"_Shukaku why did you tell her demon to leave her alone?_"

"_**Why did you?**_"

"_Because she needed to get some rest, now answer me. Why did you tell that demon to leave her alone…then push her down deeper into her subconscious?_" Gaara asked earning a feeling of slight shock from the tanuki demon.

"_**I have my reasons, kid. You didn't kill her immediately, which confused me at first but I think I'm beginning to understand. You've gotten soft in my opinion, but maybe so have I in being inside you since…well…I'm glad you didn't kill her, besides, it's about time you found yourself a-**_" the demon stated quickly regaining his composure.

"_Don't start with that raccoon._"

"_**Then why didn't you kill her? Why are you staring at her like that? Why did you walk with her through town when you could've just transported us here? Why are you thinking about how beautiful she is…especially when she smiles?**_"

"_I DON'T KNOW!!_"

"_**Yes, you do deep down, I know why, and if I know… you know. You just don't want to admit it since you've never had it…I'll shut up now…but only for now.**_" The demon stated and Gaara got up and walked out of the room as he heard his siblings get home.

Temari had been on a mission delivering a message to Konoha about something he didn't even remember. Kankuro had just returned from delivering the katana and seeing to the dead shinobi. Gaara knew there was going to be yelling, mostly from his sister, about why Kira's not dead and why she's here. He only sighed and went downstairs.

A few minutes later Kira woke aching all over, her legs and arms were bandaged, and she heard arguing from somewhere in the house so she got up to hear better.

"What is wrong with you Gaara? Why didn't you kill her?" A girl's voice asked, "Why is she in our home!?"

"She is not dangerous, Temari, how many times do I need to tell you this?" She heard Gaara say and felt her stomach flip for some reason.

"Bro, she took out the entire wall guard, including all of those other things." She heard a man say, "How many times do I need to remind you of this?!"

"She is not going to hurt anyone unless they hurt her first, Kankuro."

"_**He doesn't know us that well does he**_?" Kaminari asked teasingly from deep within.

"SHUT UP! I AM NOT LIKE YOU!" she shouted out loud which made everyone run into the hall except Gaara, he walked calmly out and walked up to her as she sank down panicking, "I am not like you…I am not like you…leave Kaminari…leave me in peace…please."

"_**We are not that different…but I will leave you in peace…for a time.**_"

He knelt down by her much to the shock of his brother and sister. She looked up at him and they both saw she trusted him completely. He scooped her up in his arms and she calmed down and snuggled into him. They were shocked that he let her as he brought her into the kitchen and sat her down in a chair at a counter.

"This is Kira. She's going to be staying with us." Gaara stated to his siblings glaring at them, "Kira…these are my siblings: Temari and Kankuro."

"Hi." Kira said nervously waving a little, "You have a lovely house…from what I've seen of it."

Temari stared at her closely.

"What are you doing in Suna?" the eldest Sand sibling asked.

"I don't really remember how I even got here…" Kira stated honestly and stared back at Gaara's sister with big brown eyes, "I'm sorry?"

"She's dangerous, Gaara." Temari started and he was going to yell at her again but she continued, "She's dangerous…but she's so cute."

"Um…thanks?" Kira started, "I've never been described as that before."

"You're a Jinchuuriki too aren't you?" Kankuro asked.

"Yes…" she said nervously and shrunk back into the chair, "I'm sorry if that upsets you, just…please don't hurt me."

"You are dangerous…but not to us." Kankuro concluded, "My own brother is a Jinchuuriki…and you can't possibly be worse than he was."

"Was?"

"I killed people just for the pleasure of it." Gaara stated, "Other people existed for me to kill to make my existence worth something."

"I've been worse." Kira admitted.

"How could someone so pretty…be worse than him?" Kankuro asked and she blushed as Gaara glared at his brother.

"My seal is unstable…and I think it's breaking now since it was torn more."

"Why haven't you tried to kill us yet?" Temari asked.

"Kaminari won't let me…not that I want to…you've been very…very…um…"

"Kind?" Kankuro offered.

"Yes…I'm sorry…I'm not really used to that…and I'm still very confused and I can feel the seal's tear…it hurts and it's hurting my head." Kira stated in a sort of tired and drained daze, "Why are you wearing makeup?"

"Temari, go to Konoha and bring Naruto and the hermit, if you can find him, and everyone you can think of that would help." Gaara stated trying not to laugh at his brother's expression.

"Help do what?" Kira asked looking up at him with big curious eyes.

"To re-seal the demon inside you, Kira." He said and she looked at him.

"You can do that?"

"Yes." He said.

"Bring Sakura too." Kankuro stated, "We're going to need a medical nin for her…especially if those cuts don't heal like they should."  
"I heard that _he_ is back in Konoha…" Temari stated, "I don't know why exactly, but he is. I don't trust him, Gaara, but I have the feeling that he's going to follow Naruto wherever he goes."

"He's part of their team…so if he comes…he comes." Gaara stated, "I'll deal with him later."

"I hate that arrogant little prick." Kankuro growled, "Well I'm going to see if they discovered anything useful about that katana."

"Who are you talking about?" Kira asked.

"Don't worry about it." Gaara stated, "Just try to get better."

"I'll be back with the others soon." Temari stated and Gaara nodded as his siblings left.

"Gaara-sama?" she asked and he looked down at her in as she sat in the chair hugging her knees.

"Hm?"

"Umm…" she said blushing a little, "I need clothes."

"Oh, right." He said as he blushed a little too, and brought her back up to his room, setting her down into a chair and leaving, soon coming back with a trunk of Temari's clothes, "Pick. She'll deal with it."

She rummaged thru the trunk a little till she found clothes that would fit her and left to change into them after Gaara showed her where she could take a bath. When she came out wearing short shorts, and a tank top, Gaara's eyes glowed for a split second, before he regained his usual stare; she saw it though and blushed.

"They're the only things that fit…and it's hot here."

"You look fine. We'll get you some new clothes soon." He said and pulled her down the hall to show her the rest of the house.

"Why are you doing…being so nice…wh-" she started to ask as he stopped and looked down at her.

"Please don't ask why I'm doing this…I don't know, and I'm tired of being asked. Come…I'll show you the house." He said and then proceeded to show her around the house.

"I'm sorry, Gaara-sama." She said as she followed him

"Stop calling me Gaara-sama." He said walked down the hall pulling her along at first then letting her follow him timidly, "The house is very large, it is just the three of us here normally but I like my privacy and we tend to have a lot of guests over periodically."

"So that's why you have your own hallway with your room all the way down at the end?" she asked as she peered down the hallway curiously.

"Yes. My room's on the right, the door on the left lead to a balcony with has stairs to the roof. Down this hall Kankuro's room is on the right near the beginning; Temari's is down at the end there on the left." He said as they reached a spot with four hallways, "Down that one is guest rooms and two guest bathrooms. This one leads to the stairs going downstairs."

"Why am I not staying in a guest room?" she asked as she followed him downstairs and he paused then continued down the stairs into the hallway.

"Because you are a foreign kunoichi, Kira, _and_ an unstable Jinchuuriki and those rooms are far away from my room and both my siblings. I don't think you want to stay with Kankuro since he's a pervert and an idiot, and as for Temari…you'd probably kill her the first night you'd stay with her…and I…well I've gotten used to her being here…she keeps the house clean."

"Ok."

"This is the kitchen, this is the dining room, this is the living room, that's the door to the outside, and that leads to the basement where Kankuro has his workshop." He said and Kira looked at him, "He's a puppet master."

She nodded her head reached up and ran her fingers over the kanji on his forehead and he stared back at her curiously. She looked down suddenly ashamed of herself and backed away a bit.

"I'm sorry. I should not have done that." She said bowing in apology, "Forgive me, G-…I'm sorry."

He tilted her head up until she stood upright again.

"You can say my name. I never said you couldn't…I just don't want you to call me Gaara-sama or Kazekage-sama. People who are afraid of me call me that…and I don't want you to be afraid of me, Kira. Call me Gaara."

She looked up at him and smiled a little. For some reason just the sight of her smile made him so happy he smirked at her.

"Let's go get you some food." He said and took her back into the kitchen, getting her some ramen.

She ate ferociously and he sat back and watched her. She looked from her plate when she was done and smiled at him and held out the plate for more blinking expectantly at him. He chuckled a bit and got her another plate of food. After she finished the fourth plate and looked at him he was very close to bursting out laughing until she got up and got a plate and set in front of him.

"Eat."

He looked at her and she glared at him until he picked up a pair of chopsticks and ate. He shook his head as he did.

"I'm only doing this because I'm hungry." He said at one point, "So don't get used to getting your way with me."

She brushed a strand of hair out of her face and smiled at him. He stared at her as she smiled slightly confused by her. He watched her as she started to poke around the kitchen. She opened every drawer except one that Gaara had sealed shut with his sand, the one with all the knives. She was slightly annoyed by this but let it go and continued to poke around the kitchen as he ate. When he was finished she cleaned up the mess and washed the dishes automatically.

"How long until Temari-san gets back from Konoha?" she finally asked.

"Temari," he stated emphasizing the absence of the honorific "Will be back in a day and a half to two days, maybe more if something happens."

"W-what will happen until then?" she asked as she put the clean dishes away.

"You'll stay here and rest. I don't have to be back to the office for a couple days, since I scheduled myself some time off from the endless paperwork, so I'll be here to keep you company."

"Don't you mean so you can keep an eye on me?" she said as she looked up from the sink and he saw her eyes flash violet for a second.

"That too." He said and she nodded her eyes back to normal.

She left the kitchen and went into the living room and he followed. There were pictures all over the mantles and she went to look at all of them. Gaara answered her questions about them as she went through. Kankuro's first attempt at painting his face was amusing to her, as was Temari's first time cooking, and so was a picture of Temari beating Kankuro up. She stopped when she reached a picture of all three of them together in a frame with the word family written on it.

"Family…" she murmured as if to herself, "I have no family."

She turned around and smiled at him like nothing was wrong and went on asking her questions. It went like this for the rest of the day until she decided to go shower because she was hot and uncomfortable. Kankuro came home while she was in the shower and found Gaara resting on the chair in his room.

"She in the shower?" the puppet master asked and sat down on Gaara's bed as the sand master nodded, "How's it going?"

"She's confusing."

"She's a woman." Kankuro laughed, "They're all confusing, bro. You could do a lot worse though. She _is_ very beautiful."  
Gaara shot a glare at his brother who just smirked at him then changed the topic as if nothing happened.

"They haven't found anything useful on the katana. They only said that it was made from a strange type of steel. Everything else about it was very general. The best way to find out where she came from and who those people attacking were is to ask her. I want to know now, but I think it's too early to be asking her…besides…I think she has plenty of her own questions."

"You have no idea." Gaara stated, "It's getting annoying."

"That's not the only thing getting annoying." Kankuro started, "The elder council is starting to ask questions about her. The usual ones including why you didn't kill her are the most common. I know you hate being asked why you're doing this and I'm not asking. I told them that you're doing it for your own reasons and to just leave you alone."

"Good." Gaara stated and they heard the shower turn off.

"What did you get for her to wear?" Kankuro asked.

"Temari's clothes until we re-seal her demon."

"Ok, well since we figured she'd be staying here for awhile Temari and I bought some things before she left." Kankuro stated to his glaring brother, "Temari bought most of it, I just bought more food. She also figured that our guest would be wearing her clothes for a time being, she's fine with it which surprises me, and bought her a few pieces of clothes, underwear, and a few other things."

"Did she include a hair brush?" Kira asked as she stood in the bathroom doorway wrapped in a towel.

Kankuro stared at her open mouthed until he heard Gaara growl and looked over at his brother who was just staring at the wet and beautiful woman. Gaara snapped out of it and glared at his brother as Kankuro nodded and handed her a duffel bag with the stuff Temari bought without even looking at her. After that she went back inside the bathroom to change. Kankuro stood up and looked at his brother who returned to staring at the spot she was standing in.

"I'm gonna go shower…a very, very cold shower." Kankuro stated and walked towards the door, "You could do a _hell_ of a lot worse."

Most smiles are started by another smile. ~Author Unknown

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter. In the next chapter a new Kira will start to emerge. Will it be for better…or worse…**


	4. Chapter 3: Assassins and Confessions

**A/N: Here's chapter 3, I'm putting it out a little earlier than I originally intended, but go ahead and enjoy. Read, review, and tell me how it is!**

Chapter 3: Assassins and Confessions.

After Kankuro left and shut the door Gaara went into his closet to change into some clean clothes. He tried not to think about her wrapped in that towel, Shukaku wasn't really helping as usual, so he let himself think about her for a moment after he finished dressing. He had to admit that she was beautiful, to which Shukaku added that no man alive could deny that after which Gaara told him to shut up. The sand master just couldn't seem to understand why she was having this effect on him. When he saw her standing there dripping wet in nothing but a towel he felt a primal urge to just make her his. When he realized Kankuro was staring at her too, his blood began to boil at the thought at any other man seeing her like that. What shocked him even more was that she was staring straight at him even as she asked Kankuro that question. Hearing his name being called brought him out of his thoughts and he stepped out of the closet.

"Why do you have that look on your face?" Kira asked as he looked down at her.

She was wearing a pair of pajamas that Temari had bought her. They were simple enough, being just a black top and a pair of black and green striped bottoms, but she looked amazing in them. He didn't know whether to thank Temari or kill her.

"Gaara-sama?" she asked trying to snap him out of it.

"What did I tell you?" he asked as he heard her refer to him with the honorific.

"Sorry…Gaara." She said and he saw that her hair was put up into a messy looking bun, "What's for dinner?"

"Whatever you want, I don't care." He said causing her to smile at him and started to drag him downstairs.

She made dinner that night for the three of them even against the two brothers' protests. The two had to admit that she was an excellent cook, however, and ate their food without any further protest. After dinner and listening to Kankuro explain the art of puppet mastery to Kira, and Gaara trying to explain that his sand was his armor and shield, Gaara saw Kira was starting to get sleepy. Kankuro was too so they all decided to go to sleep, except Gaara. Gaara watched her crawl into his bed and smile at him before closing her eyes. He sat back in his chair and started to read a book and soon noticed she had fallen fast asleep. The next day went pretty much the same with her asking questions and Gaara following her around.

Kankuro spent the day home and smiled to himself at how Gaara followed her and how she acted around his brother. The puppet master admitted that she was absolutely beautiful and that any man would want her, yet he couldn't help but think of her more as a sister and that she was Gaara's. He knew his brother was confused about how he felt, but Kankuro figured it would be best to just let Gaara figure it out on his own. As they sat down to another home cooked meal by Kira she asked a sudden question that shocked the both of them.

"Did you ever try to kill each other?" she asked looking down at her food as if thinking about something.

"No." Kankuro stated, "Gaara threatened it enough and Temari and I believed him enough to do as he said but we never tried. Our father though…he tried to have Gaara killed. He sent assassin after assassin…they all failed…which left me to clean up after he killed them. If it weren't for that sand of his they would have succeeded. Why?"

"Just curious." She said and went back to eating.

After dinner Kankuro retreated to his workshop while Kira and Gaara cleaned up. After that was done Gaara walked out of the room, prompting Kira to follow him since she didn't want to be alone. When she turned the corner she ran right into him. He caught her as she almost fell down and stood her up again. Her hands rested on his shoulders loosely leaving their faces barely an inch apart. His arms hesitantly wrapped around her waist holding her close to him.

"Gaara…what are you doing?" she asked as he rested his head on hers.

"Kira…you make me feel…different…I've never felt this way before, that I know…but yet it feels like I have had this feeling before…" he admitted, "I don't know why, but you do."

"I feel the same, but with you…and I think it's a good thing." She said in a matter of fact like tone as she moved her head so she was looking in his eyes, "Thank you, for everything."

He grinned a bit and she kissed his cheek making him turn red. She smiled afterward and hugged him, confusing him even more since no one hugged him or…kissed him. She enjoyed his reaction, which confused her since she usually wasn't this trusting of people or affectionate. She didn't really know why she was acting this way, but she didn't really care; she just knew it was right.

The day after that went a little differently. The two brothers were starting to see a different side of Kira, one that was more confident, had a wicked attitude, and seemed more dangerous and knew it. Gaara was finding that he like this side of Kira even better.

As Kira walked around the kitchen making lunch Kankuro watched Gaara watching her. Kankuro knew his brother was still very dangerous to those that angered him, yet even when Kira managed to piss him off a little he didn't do anything to her except say her name. The sand master's brother was discovering that he liked having Kira around just because he loved to watch his brother act this way. Kankuro found himself to be the quiet observer of the household for once. As he was observing the two, someone knocked on the door.

"I'll get it." Kankuro stated and got up to answer the door.

When he answered it he saw it was a chunin he recognized as being part of the elder council's messenger service. Kankuro set his face to a frown and asked the shinobi what he wanted. All he would tell him was that he wanted to speak to The Kazekage. Kankuro led him into the hallway and told him to wait there. When he returned to the kitchen wearing an annoyed expression Kira looked at him curiously.

"The council sent an errand boy to speak to Gaara." Kankuro stated and Gaara glared at the doorway and got up.

Kira went to get up but Kankuro held her arm in place as a signal not to follow the Kazekage. Kira looked worried as Gaara exited the kitchen so Kankuro shot her a reassuring smile and told her not to worry. They heard Gaara asking the man what he wanted only to have the man recite the same thing Kankuro had been hearing from the actual council. They wanted to know where the "rogue kunoichi" was and why she wasn't in the cells under Suna for questioning. The next thing they heard was whimpering and feet scuffling as a very angry Gaara dragged the man into the kitchen by the back of his shirt and pointed to Kira.

"There she is." Gaara stated, "She is not a rogue ninja so she's not being held for questioning. She came here for help and sanctuary, so that is what I am giving her. You tell the council this: if any of them or those that work for them so much as looks at her the wrong way or gets even the slightest idea of questioning her they will have to answer to _me_. I am sick and tired of the questions as to why I'm doing what I'm doing. I'm trying to help her since she needs help."

"But they said she's dangerous, Kazekage-sama, she's an unstable Jinchuuriki…she's a-" the man started and next thing either brother knew he was pinned to the wall with a katana of a strange crystal across his throat.

"A monster?" she asked him, "You have no idea what kind of monster I am…I'll give you a hint…so pay attention okay?"

The two stunned brothers stared at her amazed by how fast she could move. The man swallowed loudly and nodded and his eyes flickered to the door.

"I already know about them out there…about three or four of the Sand's top assassins just waiting for you to scream so they can rush in and kill me. They just don't learn do they? Sending assassins to kill a Jinchuuriki in the home of another Jinchuuriki who happens to be the Kazekage is just stupid. My name... is Kira...not 'the rogue kunoichi', and if you're elders are wondering…yes…I'm dangerous…I'm _very_ dangerous to those that piss me off. They are really starting to do that too. Yeah…I'm a monster…I'm a monster because I'm not like _you_. Tell them this too…if they leave me alone…Gaara and his family alone…I'll leave them alone…but if they try to kill me," She said and she looked at him with dangerously cold violet eyes, "If they try to kill me I will destroy them…even if they send someone else to do it…I'm coming after them. I refuse to hurt those that don't try to hurt me, but if someone tries, I _will_ kill them."

Gaara came over and put a hand on her wrist and she let go of the man and he fell to the floor. The crystal katana disappeared as the man stood up and Gaara growled at him to get out. Kankuro saw the man run and saw the assassins back off as Gaara walked out onto the street and told them something that practically made them piss their pants. He could only guess that it was something like if they wanted to kill Kira they'd have to go through him first. They ran off down the road and Gaara came inside and stared at Kira as she stared back at him with her arms folded across her chest.

"What?" she asked she asked defensively, "He was asking for it…and I figured I'd do that instead of killing them all and leaving a mess all over the house."

"Where did you get that katana and where did it go?" Gaara asked narrowing his eyes at her.

"Oh…you mean these?" she asked smiling and pulled two crystal katana out from two saya, or scabbards, that were now strapped to her back.

She flipped them around and held one out to each brother. Kankuro stared at the one in his hands and saw that etched in the crystal blade was a griffin with ten tails. One of the tails he noticed ran down into the tsuba, or hand guard, and formed it. The tsuka, or handle, itself was a dark purple. The rest of it was quite simple in design. The puppet master couldn't help but admire its design; simple but deadly. The only thing he did not understand was the crystal. Gaara answered that question almost as soon as Kankuro thought of it.

"This is a crystal katana…I'm guessing that it's crystal from the demon world…so it's unbreakable." Gaara stated testing the balance of the sword, "Very nice."

"To me they're kind of like your gourd is to you I believe. They come with housing Kaminari." She said and the brothers handed them back to her and she put them away.

They soon disappeared from her back and she smiled at the brothers as she returned to eating her lunch. Gaara stood next to her and glared at her, something that, as Kankuro was learning, did not phase her one bit. After she didn't pay attention to him he grabbed the back of her chair and pulled her away from the table with one hand then stood in front of her.

Kankuro was starting to sense something was going to happen soon. He decided to just sit back and watch. He saw Kira look up at his brother defiantly. In a few quick movements Gaara had her pinned against the wall next to the window growling at her. Kankuro sensed something different about this growl and understood it even though Gaara didn't.

"Why?" Gaara asked pushing her into the wall.

"Why what?" she asked filled with anger.

"Why did you say that to him? WHY?"

"Why do you care?" she asked defiantly and Kankuro knew it was a mistake.

"Because it will make them come back and try to kill you, Kira! They won't listen to my orders if I'm not there and the council orders your death. They will stop at nothing to get to you, especially since you told them you're dangerous." Gaara said pushing her into the wall some more, "Don't you understand why I don't want that?"

"Don't worry,_ Kazekage-sama_, I won't hurt your little assassins." She said with disdain, which was a bigger mistake one that made his brother's temper snap and he heard Gaara growl loudly.

"Kira, stop calling me Kazekage-sama…I've told you that I don't want you to call me that! I just want to be _me_ with you! As for being worried; I'm worried about them hurting _you_, Kira! If they try to kill you and you kill them, they deserve it, but I don't want you to get hurt, Kira. You're just to fucking stubborn to realize that. I'm not worried about _them_, I'm worried about _you_. If something happened to you because of them I'd kill every last one of them without mercy and all of there families too! I don't want to do that; I don't want to go back to that, Kira! If you're going to refuse to keep yourself from being harmed by them then maybe I should just get away from you." He said and let her go and stalked out of the room.

She stared at him as he went her mouth slightly open in shock. Kankuro rushed to her side as she slid down the wall to the floor. Even as he asked her if she was okay she just sat staring at the empty doorway for a while. When she finally spoke it was as a soft whisper.

"H-he doesn't want them to hurt me…he d-doesn't want me to be…hurt. I don't understand." She whispered.

"Neither do I." Kankuro said and helped her up and sit at the table, "Gaara has never shown anyone that amount of concern. Seven years ago he was a cold blooded killer, and he would have never shown this much emotion. Since you came I've been seeing him change more and more, faster than he's ever changed. He cares about you, Kira. I don't know how much, but I know he means it when he says he's willing to kill anyone that even tries to hurt you. He rarely curses, Kira…only when he's really worked up about something, and he never lies. He doesn't, he just thinks it's useless. I'm gonna clean up, rest here."

"He's mad at me now." She said quietly as she stared at her still bandaged arms, "Isn't he?"

"He'll get over it." Kankuro said as he cleaned the table.

"No he won't." she said softly and Kankuro kneeled down next to her chair.

"If he doesn't then it's his loss. You're going to be fine." Kankuro said with a reassuring smile.

"You're a good brother, Kankuro-san." She said softly.

"Well…I try. I mean I have no girlfriend right now to occupy my time so I might as well focus on being a damn good brother." Kankuro stated, "I'll be right here if you need me."

As Kankuro cleaned up after their lunch Kira sat there in silence, or so he thought. She was really talking to Kaminari, who wasn't being helpful at all.

"_**He's protective of you. I suppose it's to be expected,**_" the demon stated mostly to herself, "_**It's a complicated emotion…**_"

"_What would you know about it? You're a demon._"

"_**I know more about caring for someone than you might think, child.**_" The demon growled bitterly and sank deep into Kira's subconscious.

She sat and thought to herself about what the young Kazekage said to her. Her thoughts started to drift to how his eyes looked as he had her pinned to the wall. He was very handsome, she couldn't deny that. She couldn't shake how his words made her feel. Every time she thought about what he said she couldn't help but think of how strong he was. Even as she remembered how he pinned her against the wall she couldn't help but remember yesterday after dinner when he caught her after she ran into him. He was so strong yet gentle with her, and he was warm when he held her and she hugged him. As she thought more and more of him she felt her canines began to grow a little and a pain start to form in her head, but she was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to really notice. She was too busy realizing with a certainty that she was attracted to the aquamarine-eyed Jinchuuriki with the flame red hair who was now angry at her and somewhere not there. It was also at that point that she felt the seal on Kaminari tear a little and it _hurt_.

She groaned in pain and clawed at the table trying not to scream in pain, but Kankuro noticed it anyway. At the instant she felt herself scream in agony her eyes clouded over and she felt a pair of strong arms pick her up and rush her into the living room and set her on the couch. When she felt the couch under her she looked up to see a blood red blur of hair on top of a blurred face before she passed out completely.

_The most important thing in communication is hearing what isn't being said. ~Author Unknown_

_Any emotion, if it is sincere, is involuntary. ~Mark Twain_

**A/N: *Le Gasp* What and interesting development! Yet how horrible for poor Gaara that he might lose what he cares most about in the next chapter, or will he? How will the Sand and Puppet Masters manage this crisis?**


	5. Chapter 4: Pain and Promises

**A/N: Sorry I took so long to update. I've been rather busy this past week or so. There was also the problem of how I was going to split this next segment in the story into chapters. I decided that I wouldn't split it into two chapters and instead give you all a very, very long chapter since I hadn't updated in about a week. So read, enjoy, and favorite. Oh, yeah…I do NOT own any of the Naruto characters but the other characters and the plot are all mine.**

***Update 5/18: Two excellent reviews that reminded me of something I forgot to mention: This chapter owes a lot to the song Sadness and Sorrow from the Naruto soundtrack. So if you want to feel the mood of this chapter I'd start listening to it when I give you the prompt at the right part of the story.*  
**

Chapter 4: Pain and Promises

Gaara had immediately known something was wrong as he sat up in his room after his confrontation with Kira thinking about her. He transported himself into the kitchen and picked her up at the exact moment she screamed. Kankuro was in the process of walking over to her to see if she was ok when the sand master appeared in the kitchen and scooped up the screaming kunoichi. Everything seemed to move in slow motion to Gaara as he ran to set her down on the couch and ordered Kankuro to get a bowl filled with water. She was starting to look feverish and her canines were growing. Gaara held her down as she struggled with the pain, he was panicking on the inside not knowing what to do.

"_**Gaara, something's trying to pull me out!**_" he heard Kaminari scream in agony.

"_**Put your hand on her head, kid, and palm flat against her forehead. Now!**_" he heard Shukaku order as he felt the demon somehow try to hold Kaminari inside Kira and he did as the tanuki said, "_**Focus your chakra, and now push it deep into her mind. Find the gate that the seal locks.**_"

"_There's no way I can reseal it! What are you trying to do?!_"

"_**I'm trying to help the woman you care about, and the one I-,**_" the demon growled and stopped mid-sentence, "_**Just do as I say or she'll die. There's the gate; now wrap your chakra around the seal.**_"

Gaara could see a mental image of the gate Shukaku was talking about, and then he could actually see it, like he was there in her subconscious. He was very confused and then he saw the seal. It was a large seal, a large strip of paper with the seal's runes on it, up the gate where the two doors met. He wondered if his seal was that big.

"No, it isn't." he heard a familiar voice say and he turned around and saw no one, "I'm still in your head, but since you're in the subconscious of another I come through much clearer. You are in here like this because I put you here to help her, although I had no idea you'd be here so…completely. You need to wrap the gates with your chakra or the seal will fully tear. You can't reseal it now; you'll need a larger group of people and the Naruto kid."

Gaara then focused on the gate and saw it, the seal tearing bit by tiny bit as something struggled against the gate. Gaara heard something scraping against the floor and ran over to the gate to see a huge griffin struggling against eleven chakra ropes that were pulling it against the gate. Gaara knew then that this dark purple feathered thing that looked like it was half lion half eagle with icy violet eyes was Kaminari, Kira's demon. She was both terrifying and magnificent at the same time.

"Help me." He heard the demon say, "Cut the strings pulling me; they will regenerate after a time but it will give you enough time to close the gate. I will provide you with what you need."

At that instant Gaara heard the sound of sand moving across the floor and saw a patch of the floor covered in sand. He took the hint and manipulated it to sever the strings pulling Kaminari. The griffin demon lurched forward a bit at the sudden lack of force pulling her backwards and turned around and laid down looking at Gaara then proceeded to tell him to wrap the gate using his chakra. When he was almost done, the demon spoke.

"I do care about the girl, child. You may not realize it and she may not either, but I do." The griffin stated as her icy violet eyes locked on Gaara's, "Every demon who gets locked inside of a human cares about their host to some extent…even Shukaku. He is hard to handle and a pervert to boot, but he worries about you."

Gaara just stared at the demon dumbfounded. He had never expected such and admission from the griffin, or any demon.

"She's worried you'll never speak to her again. You practically said you wouldn't. You're worried she's going to get hurt, and I appreciate that, but first I think you need to understand why she's so bitter and volatile."

"I know nothing about her other than her name. I don't even know where she came from." Gaara said half in awe that he was in the place he was and half with a touch of disdain, "How can I even begin to understand her?"

"Think of your own childhood and make it worse. I already know about it since I have seen it in your memories and thanks to Shukaku."

"I don't understand."

"Then let me show you." The demon stated and Gaara saw one of her tails rise up then hit the ground.

***A/N: This is where you'd start listening to Sadness and Sorrow, you can find it on youtube if you don't have it.***

Gaara heard the sound echo repeatedly then felt the air change. He saw he was in a village at twilight, one that he had never seen before. There was a fresh coat of snow on the ground as well as a slight chill in the air, one that he couldn't quite feel. Overall the village looked a lot like Konoha, only smaller and less wealthy…and colder. Gaara looked up and saw a large mansion he could only assume was the Kage's mansion. He saw a strange symbol, which looked like a field of stars behind a mountain, on the building that he knew was the village's symbol but didn't recognize it. He looked past the mansion and saw a huge mountain behind it surrounded by nothing but a vast expanse of star filled sky. He had never seen so many stars, but he noticed that there was no moon.

"Where am I?" he asked.

"You're in Hoshiyamagakure, Village Hidden in the Mountain of Stars in the Spirit country. It's a very long way away from Sunagakure. That is the Reikage's mansion you see, but that is not the place we are going. Look down."

He looked down at the ground and realized that there was a trail of blood in the freshly laid snow. He followed it and soon began to hear the strangled sounds of a huge animal and the screaming of a woman amongst more shouting. He began to run as he followed the trail of blood and came into a clearing. The first thing he saw was Kaminari struggling against chakra ropes, similar to the ones he had just severed, lined with seals.

"Gaara, what you are going to see now is something no one knows about Kira and it is one of the cornerstones to why she is they way she is. Watch." The voice of Kaminari stated and Gaara did getting closer then stopped.

What he saw next he didn't understand but it involved a man walking up to the demon, hands bound in chains, as the others around him helped an obviously pregnant woman give birth. The man was tall with short brown hair and Gaara saw that he had the same eyes as Kira, the same nose and ears.

"Kaminari-sama, I am sorry that this is happening this way." The man stated as he looked into the demon's eyes with no fear.

"Daichi-san, I am sorry as well, I promised your brother that I'd keep you safe and I have failed." The demon stated wearily.

"I have failed us both then. If only I had known she would do this. How _could_ she do _this_?!" the man, that Gaara now knew as Daichi, hissed, "Doesn't she realize that she can't split you into two beings? How can she even think of doing this to our _children_?"

"Because she is power hungry, Daichi, that's how. She lusts for the power she cannot have so she will sacrifice anything to get it inside something she thinks she can control. She isn't the woman you fell in love with; that woman would have chosen suicide before she even thought of sacrificing you or your children's happiness for power." Kaminari told the man.

"Which one will you choose?" he asked closing his eyes.

"The girl, she is the stronger of the two and will be able to house me without any serious threat to her health. The boy will be strong, but his sister will be stronger." The demon stated, "They will be strong because of you, Daichi-san."

"I wish I could see them grow up." Daichi whispered one tear falling down his face then another as Gaara realized that the man was Kira's father, "Take care of my daughter, Kaminari. Protect Kira; she will need your protection more than I ever have. Watch over my son as well, Kaminari-sama, to the best of your abilities protect Hikaru. Tell them that I love them with all my heart and that I never wished for this. Tell them that I miss them. Tell them I died an honorable death. Promise me you'll do these things."

"I promise Daichi-san. I will do everything I can to protect them." She said and the man smiled and slipped his chains.

"Goodbye old friend." He said as he proceeded to fight the village's ANBU as the woman that was giving birth started performing the hand seals to start the ceremony.

"Goodbye, Daichi-san, my friend." Kaminari stated as the infant that was Kira was brought before her and a tear rolled down the great demons face and hit Kira in the head.

Gaara watched as the tear stained Kira's hair the dark purple that she would have the rest of her life. He looked up from the infant to see another one right next to her with light brown hair and could only stare in shock at the realization that this was Kira's twin brother, Hikaru. The next thing Gaara noticed was a raven haired kunoichi holding Kira's father with a chakra as the sealing process began. Gaara watched with a fascinated horror as those in the real world were starting to panic.

"Gaara!" Kankuro called yet again to his younger brother who did not answer.

Kankuro first noticed something was wrong when he heard Kira groan in pain. The next thing he knew Gaara was there picking her up as she screamed in agony and rushing her to the living room calling for a bowl of water. Kankuro saw how worried his younger brother was as his eyes glazed over and place a hand on her forehead as if he was going to heal her. Kankuro thought this was strange since Gaara never had any medical training but then understood that this was something different when he saw Gaara's eyes widen in shock at something only he could see. He also noticed that Gaara's usually distant look was completely blank like he wasn't really there. He waved his hand in front of his face and nothing happened. He looked down at Kira as he heard someone start knocking on the door. It looked like she was lying there peacefully until he noticed her breathing was very shallow. As the person at the door started banging on it he begrudgingly got up to answer it. It was his old sensei, Baki.

"The Kazekage's guests and your sister are back. They're waiting at his office." Baki said immediately then noticed Kankuro was pulling him inside and pointed to his brother, "What happened?"

"She's a Jinchuuriki like he and Naruto are, Baki. Her seal was starting to tear and hurt her so we brought her in here and then he put his hand on her head and this is what happened." Kankuro stated as Baki waved his hand in front of Gaara, "He can't see you…or hear you."

"We can't move them either…his hand is locked in place." Baki said as he tried moving Gaara's hand, "Go get your sister and your guests. I'll watch them."

Kankuro nodded and started running towards the Kazekage mansion and for once wished they did decide to live there. The only reason they didn't was because the council also lived there and the siblings really didn't want to be in the same house with them. He transported himself to the office on the top floor in front of all of them.

"Where's Gaara?

Kankuro quickly explained everything that was going on to everyone. As soon as Kankuro finished Naruto jumped out of the window and started running towards their house followed by Sakura. The remaining of them, Kakashi, Kankuro, a certain Uchiha, and Temari transported themselves to the front door and arrived there just as the other two did.

Just as the group of shinobi was arriving at his front door Gaara was walking through the Kage's mansion in Kira's home village. Kaminari warned him that as bad as he thought the memory of her birth was there was worse to come. During the period of nothingness that came after Kaminari was sealed into the just born Kira, Kaminari explained her relationship with Kira's father, Tsukino Daichi.

As he came to understand, her father was the Reikage when he first met Kaminari. The two battled fiercely until Daichi used a special jutsu to wound her. The Reikage stopped attacking as Kaminari bowed to him in respect. She explained that an unlikely thing happened; they became friends and she would come to his aid whenever he called. During a battle with a large band of rogue ninjas, Daichi's older brother, Hitomu, was killed by three poisoned kunai meant for his brother's back. Before he died he made Kaminari swear to protect his little brother.

"Daichi-san was a great man, Gaara, but more importantly he was a great friend. He inspired people to try harder and be better. He always had time to come and talk to me every day and in a lot of ways was my best friend during those years after I lost to him. I can only hope that you will be as great a Kazekage as he was Reikage."

She went on to say that he met Kira's mother, Keiko, on a mission to a small settlement. They were both ninja of the village but had never met each other before then. They fell in love shortly after the mission then got married soon after that. Kaminari went on to say that when they first met, Keiko was a vibrant and promising kunoichi with a big heart.

"She loved Daichi-san with all of her heart, and loved everyone else too. Then one day, after a mission, she changed. Daichi tried to bring the old Keiko back but it was useless. For the first time in years he didn't come see me. A week later he came to tell me that she was pregnant with his child and brought her with him. This wasn't the first time I'd ever encountered her. He introduced her to me a few days after they met. It pained me to see the two in love, but it pained me even more to see her there staring at him with cold, uncaring eyes. It was like she was a different person except she wasn't."

As the months progressed it was revealed that there would be twins. The griffin went on to say that Kira's father was overjoyed until he heard his wife's plan. The following months were a hell, the demon said. Daichi was attacked by his wife and the council members that sided with her. A great battle erupted the day that Keiko was to give birth; apparently it was her plan to do it that day. Daichi summoned Kaminari to his aid as some of the other council members fought with him. Kaminari did everything she could to protect Daichi without killing his unborn children; she didn't care about his wife at that point. It was all in vain, though, as Kira's mother had set a trap for the great demon which tied her with the ropes Gaara saw.

As Gaara continued to walk down hallway in the Reikage's mansion Kaminari told him that after Daichi's death, Keiko was appointed as the new Reikage and the battle and death of Daichi and half the council was blamed on the demon. Gaara stopped by a doorway and peered into it. What he saw tore at his heart. He saw Kira, about five years old at this time with her purple hair in two short pigtails, sitting on the seat by the window hugging her knees as she stared out the window. He noticed that the room was very bare. It contained nothing except a bed, a dresser, and a purple teddy bear that she was holding onto tightly as if it were her only friend in the world…the only thing that kept her from falling apart and drowning in a puddle of her own tears. He watched as she stared down at her feet and tears rolled down her face. She hastily began wiping them away as she heard footsteps approaching. Gaara turned and saw Kira's mother walking towards him angrily. She couldn't see him, he knew that, but he still stepped out of her way. He looked into the room again and saw her look up in fear at her mother.

"You've been crying again." He heard her mother say then walk up to Kira and hit her which sent her flying against the window, "I told you that crying is for the weak."

"I am sorry okaa-san." The young Kira stated and bowed low on the floor ignoring her bleeding lip, "I did not mean to show weakness. It's just…the other kids ran from me…I…I only want a friend. If you get me a friend I will never ask for anything else, okaa-san, I promise!"

"No. You don't need friends, Kira, you need to be stronger!" her mother yelled and grabbed the bear that Kira was gripping onto and ripped it out of her hands ignoring Kira's cries, "You don't need this anymore."

He watched as the woman cut the bear into pieces with a kunai and then toss it into the garbage. Kira was openly sobbing at this point and he saw her mother pull back her leg to kick and started to walk towards the scene as she sent the kick but stopped as he saw a wall of crystal encase the crying child. Her mother stopped mid-kick and only smiled smugly before turning around and walking out of the room. He turned to watch her go and as he watched the Reikage walk down the hallway he felt a gust of wind ruffle his red hair. His attention snapped back to the room and saw Kira standing on the window ledge looking down. He was yet again about to step in but was passed by two children. He saw one and recognized it as her twin, Hikaru; the other he didn't recognize but saw that this little girl was almost the exact same age as the other two. She was smaller than Kira and had very dark red hair, almost black worn in two little bao on her head.

"Nee-chan, why are you standing there?" the little girl asked shocking Gaara as he realized that this child was her sister.

"Nee-chan come down from there." Hikaru said softly.

"No! You just want to laugh at me and scream at me like the other kids do!" Kira yelled.

"No we don't…" the little girl said starting to cry, "They laughed at me too…they said you were a monster. I told them it wasn't true. It isn't true! You can't be a monster, I love you!"

"I am a monster Kokoro; why else would she hate me so much?" Kira asked.

"She hates me too, Kira-chan." Hikaru stated, "She hates all three of us."

"YOU ARE NOT A MONSTER NEE-CHAN!!" Kokoro screamed through her tears, "I won't believe it!!"

"Yes, Kokoro is Kira's sister, her half-sister, Gaara. Keiko had an affair two months after Kira and Hikaru were born and got pregnant. She didn't want Kokoro but the council told her it would look bad if she aborted the child so soon after taking office and that it would raise suspicions. I promised myself that I would look after Kokoro as well since she loved Kira…so much." Kaminari stated.

The little girl ran over to her sister and started to pull her back into the room with the help of their brother. Kira struggled with all of her might to go out the window but couldn't. Gaara then heard the sound of running footsteps as two maids came running in and pulled a struggling Hikaru and a crying Kokoro away from Kira.

"Stay away from her!! She'll hurt you!! Don't you remember what Reikage-sama told you!?" the elder maid asked as she pulled them out of the room leaving Kira sobbing on the floor in a fetal position.

"It was this way for years." Kaminari suddenly stated sadly, "It just went on from that. First it was the beatings from her mother, and then it was her mother forbidding her to address her as mother saying that nothing as weak as her could be her daughter. After that came the beatings from her other siblings, the ones Keiko had with random men. Keiko spoiled these children and gave them everything she denied to her three eldest, but to Kira most of all. I was too weakened by the sealing ritual that I couldn't protect her most of the time. I felt like I failed Daichi by letting this happen so when I could, I taught her everything I knew. "

Gaara started to see different things flash before him and Kaminari narrated.

"Eventually as the years went on Kira and I grew close and I taught her all of my ninjutsu and how to use the two katana that I gave her when she was forced to enter the village's ninja academy. I would like to say that I made Kira strong, but I didn't. I helped her go on, especially when her brother and sister were taken away from her." Kaminari stated as the vision of a twelve year old Kira, tears streaming down her bloodied face, struggled against thirty of the village's ANBU while her brother and sister were being dragged away by their mother and other ANBU, "She killed half of those ANBU in the struggle. What Keiko did to her after was…something you'd never imagine a mother would do to her own child."

"What did she do?" Gaara asked feeling, for the first time in years, tears start to pool in his eyes.

"She sent her into the mountain where the dungeons are kept. Keiko had a seal strapped to her head so I couldn't interfere and had Kira tortured. Imagine the worst of your village's torture methods then multiply it by a thousand. That's what Keiko did to Kira." Kaminari stated as Gaara started to see it and hear her screams to just kill her; he closed his eyes so he couldn't see it and tears started to fall, "Kira was never the same after that. She came to hate me; seeing me as the source of all her troubles. Perhaps I am since it was my presence that attracted the worst to come."

Gaara saw the image of a tall young man with long black hair in front of Kira, standing with the Reikage. Gaara felt nothing but pure hate for the man radiating from the presence of Kaminari.

"What did he do to her?" Gaara asked growling in anger at what was to come.

"First of all you must understand why he came into her life. He came for me, Gaara, and when he saw Kira and learned she housed me, he sought to own her. He wanted nothing more than to break her in, break her down, make her feel so worthless that she'd give into anything he wanted so she would feel worth something. He's a demon, not a Jinchuuriki, Gaara, a demon. He did things to the both of us that still pain me to talk about them." Kaminari stated and Gaara heard Shukaku growl as he did, "Kira refused to give into his demands so he beat her…and me by sealing me down so I couldn't move when he hit her."

Gaara saw the man hitting Kira repeatedly as he pinned her to a bed. Gaara felt his anger grow at the scene before it changed to one of Kira crying her eyes out as another man held her close, crying with her. It was Hikaru, her brother.

"He tried to rape me, nii-chan." Kira sobbed, "He says he owns me…that I'm worthless unless I do as he says. He…he hit me…and kicked me and cut me open a-a-and made me watch!!"

The man held her closer as she sobbed into his shirt rubbing her back comfortingly with eyes that vowed revenge. Gaara then saw a woman step out of the shadows, Kokoro, her sister all grown up. Kokoro knelt by her sister and held Kira close. At the first instant of the contact Kira froze then relaxed realizing it was her sister.

"Don't cry nee-chan…one day we'll be free…you'll see…we'll be free one day." Kokoro stated trying to cheer her sister up.

"I won't." Kira whispered, "I'll never be free. Even during the nights when he's not here I have nightmares of him doing it to me again…that's why I stopped sleeping."

Kokoro watched as the tears streamed down her sisters face and hugged her close again. Gaara felt another tear roll down his face at her words knowing all too well the fear of sleeping. He didn't know why this was making him cry, especially since he hadn't cried in years, but he knew it made his heart ache worse than it ever did as he watched another tear escape from her brown eyes.

In the world outside Kira's subconscious everyone stared in shocked silence as Gaara's viridian eyes filled with tears until they fell. They had never seen Gaara cry before. Naruto stepped forward and knelt by his friend and placed a hand on his shoulder as tears welled in his big blue eyes knowing exactly what he was seeing.

"He's seeing her past." Naruto stated slowly to the others around him, "It happens the first time one Jinchuuriki tries to heal another Jinchuuriki."

"Jiraiya told you this?" Kakashi asked.

"No, the Kyuubi did." Naruto stated, "After I helped Chiyo-baasama."  
Sakura watched the two sand siblings stare in shock at their brother before she walked up to Kira and carefully unwrapped her bandages. The cuts weren't healing properly so she decided to heal them while they all waited for the two Jinchuuriki to return. The Uchiha simply watched.

Back in Kira's subconscious Gaara witnessed more scenes of abuse and Kira's heart wrenching tears. Kaminari knew it was getting to be too much for the young Kazekage, but he needed to see this…to know.

"In time, things got worse eventually leading to when she tried to destroy the entire village when she learned that the Reikage had her brother and sister assassinated each for a different reason when she was seventeen." Kaminari stated and he saw Kira's rage take over as she let Kaminari loose, "I helped her try because I hated them all for taking away the only two people she knew loved her, I hate them because of what they have done to her. I cry for her because I can feel her pain everyday, even as she hides it from you. After that failed attempt at destroying the village, Keiko had her taken to the dungeons again and tortured to within an inch of her life again and again. It was after they dumped her body on the slopes of the mountain that their seal wore off and I told her that we had to leave before he got back and punished her more. For the first time in years she agreed with me and thanked me for keeping her alive."

"Where are we going to go?" Kira asked her demon.

"South, Kira, someplace you've never been before, maybe there we'll find help."

"No one is going to help a monster like me, Kaminari." Kira stated as she ran from the village with nothing but the clothes on her back but stopped before two unmarked graves and looked down as two tears slid down her face, "I miss you nii-chan, and I miss you too nee-chan. Goodbye."

The next thing Gaara saw was complete and utter blackness as the memories faded and he felt Naruto's presence in the outside world start the re-sealing ritual Jiraiya taught him.

"You never truly know hurt until you've felt another's." Kaminari stated, "And there is no greater hurt to have had things, people you care about torn away from you and destroyed. Kira had two people she cared about taken away from her, and each time they were she broke more. Kira is afraid to love anyone because she's afraid they'll be torn away. She unconsciously pushes people away to avoid the pain. Kira is afraid to dream of having friends and loved ones. In fact she hasn't dreamed in years. I brought her here because I could sense you miles away. I could sense your pain was like hers in a way, but you learned to change and care for others. I was hoping that you'd help her change too, but now I'm hoping for a little more because I see how you look at her. No one can change without the help of another."

The next thing he saw as Kaminari's voice faded away was Kira, as she was now, sitting in the blackness with her knees against her chest, alone staring blankly at nothing refusing to cry. The next thing he knew he was in the room where Kaminari was behind the gate. The ritual must have worked since the seal on the gate was intact without a tear inside. It was also larger than it was before. Gaara's own bonds around the gate were still there as well. He saw Kaminari inside smile at him sadly as one last image floated before him. It was Daichi, Kira's father lying on the ground as Kaminari was being sealed into Kira and he looked down at his daughter with nothing but love.

"You're beautiful, Kira-chan, I love you so much." The dying man said as one last tear rolled from his dead brown eyes.

_The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread. ~Mother Teresa_

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. In the next chapter…what will the rest of Suna do?**


	6. Chapter 5: Release

**A/N: Here is chapter 5 ahead of schedule. I had some spare time this morning so I decided to treat you all to the next chapter. Once again I, sadly, do not own the Naruto characters but, thankfully, the other ones are all mine as is the plot of this story.**

Chapter 5: Release

Kira woke with a start as the ceremony finished, scaring everybody. Gaara woke from his trance and she stared at him with the eyes of her father filling with tears. He pulled her into him and held her close as she screamed in agony at the effort of trying not to cry in front of him. Everyone watched in awed silence as the flame haired Kazekage held her close.

"Kira-chan…" he started, saying her name softly, "Kira-chan you can cry. You need to cry, Kira-chan. You're not a rock! You're human, Kira-chan, and you need to cry, so do it. Cry your eyes out, cry until you can't anymore, cry."

She looked up at him as two distinct tears slipped from her eyes followed by a flood of them. He held her closer as her head buried into his shoulder as she sobbed.

Everyone stared in shock as his one hand began to stroke her hair comfortingly as the other held her closer still. He rested his head against hers and closed his eyes as two tears slipped out.

"I swear to you that I will never let anyone hurt you like that again." He said barely above a whisper as she sobbed into his shoulder, "I will kill the first person that even thinks about doing that to you."

She cried harder as she heard those words. Kira couldn't explain it but being told to cry by him with him saying her name with that endearment just opened up the gates to years of bottled up tears. She held onto him tighter has the tears kept coming and coming. He was as comforting as her old teddy bear was. When she remembered what the Reikage did to it she started crying even harder.

"She ripped it to pieces." She suddenly said sobbing, "She ripped it to pieces.

"I'll get you a new one…anyone you want." Gaara said immediately knowing what she was talking about and she stopped crying and pulled away to look at him.

She saw his face was stained with tears, his tears. She looked into his eyes and saw that he cared for her more than she'd ever seen anyone care. She saw he was worried about her.

"All my life…all I ever wanted was just one person to care about me…just one person to understand how much it hurts to even be alive. Most want their parent to notice them…I didn't. After I understood that she would never see me as her daughter or love me all I wanted from that woman was for her to forget about me…I wanted to be invisible most of my life." She said on the verge of tears again, "Because…you can't hit what you can't see…you can't hurt what you don't remember. Damn the Jinchuuriki. Damn the people who created us for power and damn those that hate us for what we are. We never choose to be this…it's what was chosen _for_ us. Damn it all."

More tears rolled down her face as Gaara rubbed her back. She clung onto him tighter as memories of _him_ went through her head. Gaara squeezed her comfortingly as she cried.

"It hurt so much…" she whispered and looked at the scars on her legs, bringing everyone's attention to them and she looked up at Gaara, "He…he…cut me open…he cut me open and…he cut me more…on the inside and he…he…he made me _WATCH!!!!_"

The scream echoed throughout the house as she started crying harder than before. Gaara held her closer as she repeated that he made her watch over and over again.

"No one will _ever_ do that to you again; I promise you that." He said and she stared at him and he brushed away the tears left on her cheeks, "I promise."

Kira looked at him and tears welled up in her eyes again. As they fell she rested her head on his shoulder.

"The only two people that ever cared about me, that ever loved me, she killed. They never truly understood my pain…but they tried…and they felt a pain all their own because of my pain. I miss them _so_ much." She said as her eyes closed and tears fell again, "I miss my brother and sister…I miss them more than anything, but…I'll never see them again. I miss Kokoro. I miss her bouncing around the room with her hair coming undone from those two balls she usually had them done in. I miss her stupid little stories about how her toys had a tea party and had saved a piece of cake for me. I miss how she would never back down to anyone. I miss how she loved me unconditionally…never caring that I was a Jinchuuriki…never once believing that I was a monster. I miss Hikaru…I miss my brother. I miss his attempts at fighting off the other villagers as they kicked me. I miss how he listened to me after I had a bad day. I miss how he tried to be strong for Kokoro and me. I miss them. I miss how they would sneak into my room just to talk or bring me food. I miss all the stupid jokes and attempts to make me feel better. Most of all I miss their smiles."

She sniffled and became aware of the other people in the room. She saw Kankuro standing next to Sakura with a sad yet relieved look on his face. Next to him she saw Temari, whose eyes were brimming with tears. She saw the youngest Uchiha staring at her strangely, and immediately didn't like him. She saw Kakashi standing with his eyes closed and brow furrowed. She saw Baki staring at her with an awe inspired respect. Finally she saw Naruto; blue eyes filled with tears and realized with Kaminari's help that he was the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki. She saw his pain and cried for him as she buried her face in Gaara's shoulder again then realized it was soaking wet. Gaara realized this and shifted her so she could bury her head in his other shoulder.

"No…I've already cried on you enough…you're all wet." She sniffed.

"I don't care." Gaara stated and held her close as another wave of tears took over her at his words and he rocked her back and forth comfortingly.

"Naruto…thank you." Gaara stated as he comforted Kira, "Thank you for re-sealing Kaminari…thank you for everything."

"Gaara…you never need to thank me for what I do for a friend." Naruto stated smiling, "She's falling asleep, Gaara."

Gaara nodded and shifted her around so he could stand up while still holding her and he stood up. As he turned around to take her to bed she sleepily stared out at the others.

"Thank you." She said softly to them all before drifting off to sleep.

Gaara took her to his room and placed her in his bed, the same place she was before, and lay down by her watching her sleep all night. As dawn approached and his other guests woke up he reluctantly left her side, or rather tried to. He found she was holding onto his arm as if it were a teddy bear. He forced himself to leave her and watched as she reached for something to hold in her sleep and he gave her a pillow which she took and gripped onto. He changed and walked downstairs into the kitchen for breakfast then sat at the table next to Naruto who was staring out the window. He began to eat and Naruto looked at his friend from the corner of his eyes.

"I know." Gaara stated simply.

"Any ideas?" Sakura asked, her back facing the window as she sat at the table.

"Where's Kira?" Kankuro asked.

"Sleeping." Gaara stated and took a bite of his muffin.

"Alone?" Temari asked worried.

"Yeah." He said, "She's safe. Trust me."

"What are we going to do?" Sasuke asked as he moved cereal around in the bowl with a spoon.

"Wait." Gaara stated.

"Why?" Sasuke asked.

"Because they have to make the first move." Kakashi stated as he absently flipped through his book.

"Gaara can't touch them unless they try to first." Naruto went on as he picked up the cereal box and pretended to read it, "He's the Kazekage and it would look bad."

"Exactly." Gaara agreed as they heard slight movement upstairs and Gaara got up and started to walk upstairs with the others.

They walked down the hallway to Gaara's room and opened the door to see one of Suna's ANBU pinned against a wall by his sand. Kira was still fast asleep as Gaara glared at the man and used his sand to carry him downstairs. Once at the door Gaara opened it and set the man outside and looked at the other five ANBU standing there.

"If I were you right now I'd be running." Gaara stated in a monotone voice, "I know you have orders to kill her, but my orders are more important than their orders and you know that."

"You're lucky you're not dead right now." Kankuro said as he leaned against the wall in his gear, "I don't know about Gaara but I feel a little…"  
"Insulted?" Temari stated as she rested her giant fan on the ground on the other side of her youngest brother, "I don't know about him, Kankuro, but _I_ do."

"This is now my formal and final decision and order on the matter of Tsukino Kira." Gaara started to say, "All assassination orders on her life are to be canceled and revoked. She has offered to be a shinobi here, for Suna, and I have accepted that offer with the hope that her skills and knowledge will be beneficial to Suna. I will accept personal responsibility for all her actions from here on. As she is to be my second in command I suggest that you grow used to the idea of her as your superior."

"But…Kazekage-sama…" One began to protest but Gaara glared at him.

"If you don't trust her…you don't trust me." He said simply and the ANBU's reaction was a shocked one, "Seeing that you have invaded the privacy of _my_ home and personally insulted my family, my guests, and _me_…I consider you lucky that you aren't being tried as a traitor. Now go tell everyone else my orders and to have my paperwork for the past few days sent here. Go."

After this the rest of the day was peaceful as Kira slept. Gaara had a ton of paperwork to do as he sat at the kitchen table but he had Naruto to keep him company. He was glad his friend was there or else he would have gone crazy since there were numerous requests for action to be taken against Kira for the deaths of the guards as well as a complaint from that idiot messenger she threatened.

"Naruto?" Gaara asked after ripping the third request of the matter in half.

"Yeah?" Naruto asked putting down a sheet of paper that he was reading from Gaara's finished pile.

"Can you help me by sorting out all the requests for Kira's detainment, assassination, questioning, punishment, death…" he asked gesturing with his hand at the continuing requests, "It'll be good practice for when you're Hokage."

"No problem!" Naruto stated smiling and began to go through a stack of papers.

A few hours later Naruto got up again to travel to the trash can and change the bag since it was beginning to overflow with all the discarded paperwork concerning Kira. As Naruto took the garbage out Gaara got up to stretch and check on Kira. He went upstairs to his room and looked in to see she was still sleeping. Her long purple hair spilled out across his bed as she lay on her back, one hand on her stomach the other above her head. She had managed to kick off the covers in her sleep so he went in and covered her back up. He gently tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and smiled as she unconsciously moved into his hand. He knew what he felt for her when he saw her looking into his eyes as she cried. If he had never seen her father or her memories he would have never understood this feeling in him. He was still a little afraid of it, but he found that he liked it.

"It's called love, Gaara." Temari stated softly as she stood in the doorway watching her brother.

"I know." He said and looked at her, "Her father helped me figure it out."

"What?"

"I saw her father before he died. It was one of Kaminari's memories that overlapped with Kira's. He loved her, even though she was the cause of his death, he loved her and begged Kaminari to protect her and watch her grow up for him. Kaminari was never able to tell her that he loved her. I want her to know…but I don't know how to tell her."  
"You'll find the way when the right time comes. I never thought I'd see the day where you learned to love someone, Gaara." Temari stated and smiled at him as he looked at Kira, "Come on, you have to finish that paperwork. Naruto finished sorting out all the requests about Kira as well as the requests that have copies. Some people just have no patience so they just submit the same work order again and again."

"I know." Gaara sighed and closed the door behind them and went back downstairs.

When he finally finished the paperwork it was time for dinner and Kira was still asleep. They ate and talked about various things but mostly Kira.

"What demon is inside Kira?" Kakashi asked.

"Kaminari." Gaara answered.

"Kaminari's the spirit demon…the ten-tailed griffin." Kakashi stated.

"Yes." Gaara confirmed.

"What?" Sakura asked, "Chiyo-baasama said there were only 9!"

"Kaminari is the most powerful demon of 10 biju. There were only 9 but one day, centuries ago, a kunoichi of great power in a land far to the north of here suffered the loss of her entire village, which included her husband and her newborn daughter." Kakashi went on to explain, "In a rage she called upon the power of her village and set out to revenge her loved ones. When she found their killers…she killed them all…even their families and children. After it was done she discovered that the man that ordered her villages destruction escaped…she was consumed by her rage and the chakra inside her. The two fused and overtook her ability to control it. It exploded from her in a great storm that toppled the mountain the village was on. Kaminari was born from that rage and power after which she devastated the country. Not much else is known about her really. She disappeared for a number of years into the spirit realm and resurfaced around the same time Gaara's demon, Shukaku, was first sealed into that teakettle. However, a Jinchuuriki of Kaminari is unknown, one has never existed. It would take a shinobi of great power to seal her into a baby. What is Kira's full name?"

"Tsukino Kira."

"Daichi and Keiko's daughter?"

"Yes, but never say that around Kira." Gaara stated wondering how the silver haired shinobi knew Kira's mother and father, "Kira hates being referred to as the daughter of that woman."

After dinner was over everyone retreated to the living room except Gaara. He went upstairs to his room and saw that Kira was still sleeping, although she kicked the covers off again and was hugging the pillow as she slept on her side now. He smiled and covered her up again and changed into a pair of black pajamas. He lay down next to her on the bed and began to read from a book he grabbed off of a shelf. After awhile she began to stir as she tried finding a comfy spot. She managed to find one, after he raised his arm to stop her from hitting it with her head, with her head resting on his chest with his one arm around her as he read. He heard her murmur happily as she snuggled into his chest. He smiled and went on reading. The next morning, after he pried her off of him, he changed and went out.

That same morning, hours later, Kira finally woke up. She turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling remembering the other day and what happened. Instead of feeling ashamed that she had cried in front of so many people, she felt relieved. It was such a release to be able to cry again. She remembered how Gaara held her and looked at her. She remembered what he said and smiled as she got up and went to shower.

As she was showering Gaara came back with a present for her and saw that she was finally up and showering. He wrote her a note and placed it on the dresser next to what he got her and went down the hall to use the spare bathroom.

When Kira finished showering and brushing her hair she wrapped herself in a black towel and walked back into the bedroom. When she looked at the bed she saw that it was made and had a neatly folded pile of clothes on it. They were new clothes that were apparently left for her. She changed into the dark purple tank top and black shorts and pulled on the pair of boots that went up to just under her knees. She found she really liked the boots since they had plenty of spots to hide things in them. When she was done she brushed her hair out of her face then saw something purple sitting on Gaara's dresser.

She focused on it and saw that it was a purple teddy bear. She got up and slowly walked over to the dresser. Kira smiled as her eyes filled with tears and she picked up the bear tentatively. It looked just like her old one used to. A fuzzy plum colored bear with little gold flecks all over. She hugged it close as her eyes closed thanking whoever brought it mentally. When she opened her eyes she saw there was a note on the dresser as well. She set the bear down carefully and picked up the note and read it.

"_Kira-chan, _

_I promised you that I'd get you a new one and I did. I know it will never be your old one, but I hope that this one will do. I also had Sakura and Temari help me buy you something to wear the day you woke up. I hope you like it. _

_Gaara."_

She smiled as she read it and felt a hand wrap around her waist causing her to look up at the two black-rimmed eyes of the red-haired Kazekage that bought her the bear. He pulled her toward him and his other hand gently held the side of her neck as his thumb began grazing her cheek and jaw. She looked up at him with big brown eyes as his jade eyes looked down at her with something she never saw before and a small smile graced his face. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand, loving how warm it was.  
"I missed you, Kira-chan." He said and she opened her eyes to look up at him.

_You learn to like someone when you find out what makes them laugh, but you can never truly love someone until you find out what makes them cry. ~Author Unknown_

_Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. ~Charles Dickens, __Great Expectations__, 1860_

**A/N: In the next chapter… will they finally admit their feelings to each other and how will every body else react to a finally awake Kira…**


	7. Chapter 6: Introductions and News

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait. I've been really busy with work and I've been constantly tweaking this chapter during my free time. I hope you enjoy it.**

Chapter 6: Introductions and News

"I missed you, too." She said as her arms slid up his chest and rested on his shoulders.

"Do you like it?" he asked softly, "I know it will never replace the one she destroyed, but I wanted to try."

"I love it." she said softly, "It's exactly like my old one…but better because you gave it to me, Gaara-kun."

An expectant silence filled the room as they stared at each other. She felt the arm around her waist and the one caressing her cheek slip down as he bent down slightly. Her hands slid up as one tangled into his hair and the other hooked around his neck as his arm hooked around just under her butt and picked her up wrapping her legs around his waist as his other held the back of her head, fingers tangled in her hair, pulled her lips to his in a passionate and loving kiss. She kissed him back pulling herself closer to him, gripping his hair in her fingers tight. He broke the kiss for air and kissed her lightly a few more times as he held her up.

"Say it again." He said nuzzling her nose.

"Say what, Gaara-kun?" she asked and he pressed her closer to him, "Gaara-kun?"

He kissed her again a little harder this time at the endearment attached to his name making her kiss him back harder as well. He licked her bottom lip and she let him in eagerly, moaning softly as his tongue entered her mouth. Her arms wrapped around his neck as he deepened the kiss. He broke away a few minutes later and sat down on the bed with her and looked up at her big brown eyes as she looked down into his eyes. He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled at him and they laid down side by side staring into each others eyes. They stayed like that for a few minutes until Kira's eyes came to rest on Gaara's forehead. Yet again Kira's fingers danced over the kanji on his forehead, tracing each curve.  
"Gaara-kun…who-?" she asked and he kissed her softly.

"_I_ did." He said, knowing what she was going to ask again, "My uncle tried to kill me on my father's orders…I killed him and cut this into my forehead as a way of saying that the only one that loves me is myself."

"But-"

"Shh…I don't want to talk anymore about it." He said silencing her with a kiss, "Kira-chan?

"Yes?" she said sitting up a bit and kissing him on the neck softly.

"Tell me you're mine." He stated looking her in the eye feeling a strange urge to hear it from her, "Tell me you're mine and no one else's…mine."

"Your what?" she asked teasingly and he sat up on the bed and brought her with him.

"Whatever you want to call it. My girlfriend, my friend, my lover, my mate…my everything. Please tell me you're mine." He pleaded gently holding her head in his hands as he looked in her eyes.

She smiled at him and kissed him gently before answering.

"No." she said and he frowned, his heart sinking.

"Why-" he started but she silenced him with a tender kiss.

"No…not unless you tell me you're mine too." She said.

"I'm all yours if you think you can handle me." He said smirking a bit.

"Then I'm yours, all yours, and no one else's." she said and he kissed her passionately.

"Say it again." He said after he pulled it away.

"No." she said, "You say it."

"I'm yours, all yours Kira-chan, and no one else's." he said his forehead resting against hers.

"Gaara-kun?" she asked nervously.

"What is it?"

"What are you going to do about the assassination attempts on me?" she asked quickly as if she decided against asking a different question, "I can take care of myself but I don't want to kill them."

"I've already ordered all attempts to be stopped." Gaara stated as he ran a hand through her hair, "If they still try then they're traitors. I have a question to ask of you, Kira-chan."

"Yes, my Kazekage-kun?" she replied as if already knowing what he was going to ask.

"Your Kazekage-kun?" he asked smirking and trying not to laugh.

"Yes. You're mine, and you're the Kazekage of the village I want to call home. So you'd be my leader, my Kazekage, if you agreed to let me call it home and you're also my Gaara-kun so in the end you'd be my Kazekage-kun." She reasoned and he chuckled at her wit, "Now what is it you wanted to ask?"

"This is your home now, Kira-chan." Gaara stated seriously, "I want you serve as a ninja here."

"That's not asking." Kira teased.

"I know it's not asking; and I'm not asking about that since you want it too. What I am asking is if you would accept the position on the council next to me." He said and she blinked at him for a moment.  
"What?" she asked.

"Would you be my second in command? I have not appointed a second in command yet, and I've been the Kazekage for a few years now. I've been considering who to ask, since the position is for life just like that of Kazekage, and I see no other person more fit than you."

"Why do you think I'm fit for it? I've never been fit for anything except-"

"Don't say it, Kira-chan." Gaara interrupted, "You are intelligent, strong, and a born leader. I can feel it. As the Kazekage I need to do what is right for my village; and I believe you are what is right for Suna, Kira-chan. Your presence will make my people stronger…just like you have made me stronger."

"Is that all I'd be? Something to make the village stronger?" she said worriedly.

"No…you're mine, Kira-chan, my mate, mine." He said as he nuzzled her neck, "I also need a reason to give all the council members for why I'm bringing you into work everyday."

"Then yes, I will, my Kazekage, my Gaara-kun. Besides, where else could I be a ninja while being close to you so I can kill all the fan girls you probably have?" she asked smiling at him.

"You know you're not allowed to kill them right?" he asked.

"I know, Gaara-kun. That would just get the both of us into a lot of trouble that wouldn't be worth it." she said and he nodded.

"Besides, you don't have anything to worry about with them. I want no one else but you."

"Good." She said and pressed her nose against his and smirked, "Because you're mine and I don't share."

"Neither do I." he said smirking and kissed her again since he found that he couldn't get enough of her kisses.

They heard a knock on the door and Kira got up to answer it as Gaara sat up on the bed. When Kira answered the door she was met by two big blue eyes and an orange and black jumpsuit topped by blonde hair.

"Who are you?" she asked curiously.

"Naruto, come in." Gaara stated and Naruto smiled remembering his friend talking about how curious Kira was.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, Gaara's friend." Naruto stated extending his hand in greeting.

Kira looked at his hand with a confused expression wondering who exactly this person was and slowly shook his hand.

"I'm Tsukino Kira, Gaara's girlfriend." She said softly.

"Gaara's mate…" Naruto grinned and shot a glance at Gaara who was staring at the female Jinchuuriki intently before finally meeting Naruto's gaze and grinned in response.

"What are you two grinning about?" Kira asked and Naruto just flashed a cheesy smile and rubbed the back of his head.

"Nothing. Inside joke." Naruto stated still holding onto Kira's hand in greeting.

"_**I'm guessing it has something to do with Shukaku's pervy…ness finally wearing off on Gaara.**_" Kaminari stated and Naruto jumped back a bit.

"That's Kaminari, my biju." Kira stated.

"I figured that. I just forgot about the touching thing." Naruto admitted.

"_**Hn.**_" Grunted a foreign voice that Kira assumed was Naruto's biju.

"_**Is that anyway to greet your sister Kyuubi no Yoko?**_" Kaminari asked.

"_**You'd be short too if you were stuck inside this host Juubi no Kaminari.**_" The great fox replied and Gaara got up and came over to Kira and rested his head on hers.

"_You're just pissed because my father kicked your ass._" Naruto stated, "_It is nice to meet you Kaminari-sama._"

"_**I have felt this energy before…**_" Kaminari stated slowly, "_**So much like Daichi.**_"

"_**Ichibi no Shukaku…I should've figured this was started by you two…**_" the Kyuubi stated.

"_What's he talking about?_" Kira and Gaara asked at the same time.

"_**Yoko…don't start on that subject.**_" Kaminari and Shukaku growled.

"_**As you wish, onee-sama.**_" The great kitsune stated and sunk down into Naruto's subconscious.

"_**You two will find out soon enough what he's talking about.**_" Kaminari stated, "_**I'm not going to talk about it just yet…and neither is Shukaku.**_"

That was all they heard from the demons so they just stared at each other until Gaara wrapped his arms around Kira from behind.

"I think it's time the rest meet my second in command." Gaara stated to Naruto.

"You mean your mate." Naruto insisted.

"Yes…his Jinchuuriki mate." Kira stated, "Why are you pushing that so much?"

"Because it's an inside joke, Kira." Naruto stated.

"I know what it means to be the mate of a Jinchuuriki, Naruto." Kira stated grinning as Naruto looked shocked, "You keep forgetting that I am one too."

"Forgetting what?" Kira heard a female voice ask and they all stepped out of the room to be met by a kunoichi dressed in a red vest with cherry blossom pink hair and green eyes.

"Who are you?" Kira asked.

"I'm Haruno Sakura." Sakura stated and Kira shook her hand, which had a strong grip.

"Thank you for the boots." Kira stated smiling.

"You're welcome. So what did Naruto forget now?"

"That I'm a Jinchuuriki too." Kira stated and felt Gaara's arms tighten around her.

"The mate thing?" Sakura asked Naruto as Sasuke walked past announcing that he was going to go train and introducing himself as Uchiha Saskue.

"Mine." Gaara stated and grinned at Sakura.

"Yours." Kira stated back, "I'm hungry."

They all went down into the kitchen for some food and found a spiky silver haired ninja with one eye covered by his forehead protector sitting at the little table reading the newspaper instead of one of his little books. Kira stopped and stared at him once she got into the kitchen.

"Who are you?" Kira asked him as she narrowed her eyes when she felt a tinge of recognition coming from Kaminari.

"Hatake Kakashi." The man answered, "You're Daichi-sama's daughter…I was under the impression that he didn't have any children."

"How do you know my father?" Kira asked warily.

"I met your father once a few years before you were born on a mission given to me by the 4th Hokage, Naruto's father. It was to initiate an alliance between the two villages. Unfortunately Daichi-sama was killed before anything could be finalized. The 4th would have continued the talks if the war with Iwagakure didn't break out and if he did not die saving the village."

"He sealed the Kyuubi inside of Naruto?" Kira asked.

"He did." Naruto stated.

"Yes, he did. He died protecting his village. The current Reikage and council of your village would have everyone believe that your father died the same…but I think I know better."

"What do you mean?" Kira asked and Gaara sat her down at the table.

"She doesn't know Kakashi." Gaara stated, "Kaminari never told her."

"Told me what?" Kira asked again.

"Kaminari did not kill your father or half the village's council the day you were born. Your father did not die to protect the village, he died _trying_ to protect it. Now that I know he has a Jinchuuriki daughter I know the truth behind the cover up. Your father was trying to protect the village from his wife…your mother killed him."

Kira's eyes darkened and Gaara put a hand on her shoulder as he heard a deep growl come from her. Gaara, since he was touching her, then heard the argument that was occurring between Kira and Kaminari.

"_Why didn't you tell me?!_"

"_**Because I couldn't, Kira, I tried so many times but couldn't.**_"

"_You lied to me!_"

"_**I never lied to you, Kira. I just couldn't tell you!**_"

"_Then tell me why you brought me here!_"

"_**I brought you here so you'd be safe because I promised your father I'd protect you the best I could! I didn't know that another Jinchuuriki was here. I just felt that someone here could help you. I came here because I felt something that made me feel that we'd be safe here!**_" Kaminari yelled at her and Kira sat back in the chair confused.

"She didn't tell you because of the seal, Kira-chan." Gaara stated, "I saw your memories, when I tried to heal you."

"I know." She said quietly.

"I talked to Naruto about the sealing ceremony since he's become the foremost expert on seals. Tell her what you told me, Naruto."

"Your mother included in the seal another seal that would prevent Kaminari from revealing any of the events that happened before your birth regarding Tsukino Daichi." Naruto responded, "When I resealed the gate I removed that part of the original seal. There's something else there as well; something that I can't touch but it's not dangerous."

"Oh." Kira stated quietly and apologized to Kaminari.

"You've made the front page, Kira." Kankuro stated as he walked into the kitchen followed by Temari.

"What?" Gaara asked and grabbed the paper from Kakashi.

The headline read: _Kazekage Chooses Shadow_. Gaara quickly read the article which labeled Kira as a mysterious female Jinchuuriki from an unknown village. It went on to say that an official announcement still hadn't been made, but was scheduled to be made as soon as the new second in command was fully recovered from her ordeal. It also quoted him when he told the ANBU that if they didn't trust her they didn't trust him. The article also hinted at a relationship between the two Jinchuuriki which seemed to be of more interest to the person that wrote the article than the other news. Gaara set the paper back down on the table and looked at Kira who was staring back at him. She pulled herself against him and looked up at him.

"Am I in trouble?" she asked innocently and he smiled and hugged her.

"No, you're not in trouble. You're in demand now."

"Huh?" she asked and Naruto laughed.

"You are the Kage no Kazekage, the Wind's Shadow's Shadow…the second in command of the entire village, Kira. Everyone is going to want to meet you." Naruto explained.

"You're going to need a new wardrobe if you're going to be making public appearances next to my brother." Temari stated with her arms crossed.

"I know that." Kira stated staring at Temari, "I need some good clothes…ones that I can fight in."

"What do you expect to be fighting?" Temari asked.

"What good will I be to the village if I cannot defend it when the worst comes?" Kira asked, "As a ninja I am supposed to be prepared for anything, and I cannot do that if I'm not in clothes that are fit for my fighting style."

"True. I guess that means we're going shopping today." Temari stated with a smile.

"First…feed me." Kira stated and crossed her arms over her chest and grinned.

_Love is a symbol of eternity. It wipes out all sense of time, destroying all memory of a beginning and all fear of an end. ~Author Unknown_

_Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth. ~Mohammed Ali_

**A/N: Once again I'm sorry for the wait, I've just been very busy. I'm still working on the next chapter…I'm trying to decide what colors Kira's outfit should be.**


	8. Chapter 7: Gear and Robes

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait again. Work is really keeping me busy. This chapter is not one of the best, it's kind of like filler but not since it is sort of important…I'm making this way too complicated so R&R.**

Chapter 7: Gear & Robes

An hour later Kira had eaten her fill and they all got ready to go out. Kira's first step out of the door was met with a dry hot gust of wind that Kira found refreshing instead of stifling. She looked up at the clear blue sky and smiled as her eyes closed when she felt the wind wrap around her.

"It feels good." She whispered and felt Gaara's fingers entwine with hers and she looked at him, "Thank you."

"For what?" he asked as they started walking to the market.

"For my freedom." She said and heard Kaminari speak to him in a way so Kira couldn't hear.

"_**She hasn't walked down the street with her head held high for all to see since before her brother and sister were killed. Talking to you like this takes so much energy from me, but I needed you to know this.**_" Kaminari stated then went quiet as Gaara saw everyone looking at Kira curiously as she walked down the street.

A few minutes later they reached the market area and they took Kira to a seamstress so she could have clothes made to fit her fighting style.

"Kumiko has been our seamstress for years." Temari stated as they walked towards a small door wedged between two large shops, "She's the best in town, though few know it. She will make you anything you ask of her and it will be done today. She is the fastest seamstress I've ever met…except with fixing our clothes.

"The best thing about her," Gaara started as they reached the door, "Is that she is very discreet."

They entered the shop to see stacks of fabric piling up to the wall, dozens of spools of ribbon and wrap, and a multitude of mannequins with half done outfits pinned to them. In the center of the back wall was a work table and over it stood a young woman with jet black hair in two long braids no more than five years older than Kira or Gaara working on what looked like one of Gaara's shirts that was torn at the shoulder. She looked up at them when she heard the door close and smiled at them.

"Gaara-san, your shirt is not yet done. You did quite a number to the shoulder alone not to mention the back of the-oh…you've brought a guest." The woman said when she laid her eyes on Kira and she stood up and smiled, "She is perfect for you."

Gaara smiled as he pulled Kira to him as she blushed slightly at the statement and Kumiko laughed a bit.

"I've known Gaara-san for a number of years so I can tell what he feels about you in an instant. You are a vision, my dear. Come here and let me look at you." She said and Kira walked over to her cautiously, "You must be the one they're all talking about…the new Shadow of our Kazekage. What is your name?"

"Tsukino Kira."

"It is an honor to meet you, Kira-san." Kumiko stated and Kira looked at her weird at the honorific, "I'd call you Kira-sama, but our beloved Kazekage has forbid me from using that honorific in relation to any of his family or him. You're a Jinchuuriki, too, aren't you?"

"I am." Kira stated simply.

"Wonderful." Kumiko stated happily, "I find that dressing Jinchuuriki tend to be a challenge…and I love challenges."

"Gaara-kun's clothes don't seem that hard to make." Kira stated.

"These aren't, but his older clothes were…not to mention that he is very picky." She stated and smiled at Gaara who was shaking his head, "Come on, Kira-san, let's get to work getting you a wardrobe."

Kumiko and Kira went into the back and Kira started giving instructions on what she wanted. Kumiko was glad that Kira had a very clear idea on what she wanted to wear. Gaara had Kankuro run to the office and pick up something while they were waiting for Kira while he and Sakura went to the store next door to get Kira something to put her hair up with, since she demanded that she help him.

"She needs to have her hair up, Gaara." Sakura stated firmly, "Or do you want it to get chopped off like mine did?"

"No, I don't want that. I love her hair just the way it is." Gaara admitted and Sakura nodded then went over to a case containing metal hair picks.

"What about those?" Gaara asked pointing to a pair of hair picks in another case as the shop owner came over.

"Kazekage-sama, it is an honor to see you today. How may I be of help?" the middle-aged man asked.

"Tell me about these." Gaara stated pointing into the case.

"Ah these are the best hair picks that I sell in my shop. My daughter created these to function as hair picks as well as very thin kunai." The man went on and pulled them from the case, set them on top of it, and picked one up to reveal its secret, "You see the pick is just the sheath for the knife so it doesn't damage the hair. This would be the perfect tool for a kunoichi that specializes in surprise as well as one skilled in weapons."

"I'll take them." Gaara stated as Sakura rummaged through the hair ribbons and pulled out a couple of black strips.

"May I ask who they are for?" The man asked as he wrapped them up and put them in a box.

"My Shadow." Gaara stated as he and Sakura walked out the door leaving the man speechless.

Back in the seamstress's small shop Naruto and Temari were left to wait for Kira since Kakashi went out to get something. Kira poked her head out of the back room at one point.

"Temari?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you think of this?" Kira asked and handed her a sketch that Kumiko had just finished.

"I love it! It's so you." Temari stated and Naruto took on a very confused expression.

"I'm…gonna go find Gaara and Sakura." Naruto stated slowly as he left the shop.

"Naruto!" Kira called from the back.

"Yeah?!"

"If you find Gaara-kun, tell him I need two pairs of hair picks to keep this mess of hair of mine up."

"Alright" Naruto stated and walked out the door.

He soon ran into Gaara and Sakura and relayed the message to them. The three of them went back into the store from before and bought another pair of the picks Gaara just bought.

"This is the last pair." The man stated, "They're yours if you promise to bring Kage no Kage-sama in to see the person that provided her with these."

Gaara stared at the man and nodded in agreement and confusion. As they finally made it back to the shop where Kira was at Temari came out and asked if they managed to find what Kira asked for. Sakura handed Temari the bag and the fan-wielding kunoichi went back inside and shut the door behind her which was when they saw Kankuro.

"Kira's getting dressed and Temari isn't letting anyone see her until she's done. Here's the box you asked for." He said and handed a box to Gaara.

An hour or so later Temari finally came out of the shop smiling in satisfaction followed by a kunoichi the Gaara hardly recognized.

Kira wore the black boots she arrived there in, but everything else was different. She wore dark grey shorts over what seemed to be fishnet shorts with her tool pack strapped to her right thigh. On top she wore a sleeveless light violet kimono top with light grey collar and trimming over a black shirt. The shirt was like the one Sakura used to wear when she was still a genin so that the long bottom hung between Kira's legs but still allowed Kira's shorts to be seen. The undershirt was also seemingly sleeveless and had a V-cut neck with a collar that went a quarter of the way up Kira's neck before fanning out a little. The kimono top, that rested a couple inches off of Kira's shoulders, was held closed by a black obi with a light violet ribbon around it. On Kira's arms she wore black sleeves extending from just above her elbow to halfway down her hand. The sleeves were connected to the undershirt by a layer of fishnet and were otherwise held in place by a string of light violet ribbon that laced in and out of the sleeves on both ends. The far end of the sleeves flared out into a slight kimono sleeve. Gaara then realized that the ribbons on the sleeves were tied into bows and that the obi had two ends hanging down in the back which came to ten strips of cloth hanging.

"I'm up here, Gaara-kun." Kira teased when she finally made it to her speechless Kazekage.

Gaara looked up to see that Kira's hair was put up using the ribbon Sakura found and the four hair picks so that it was in a bun with the ends of Kira's hair stuck out in a ring around it almost like a halo. The picks were arranged in a way so that they enhanced the halo effect. The parts of her hair that were too short to put in the bun framed her face much like Tsunade's did.

"You are a vision my dear." Kumiko stated from the doorway.

"She is." Gaara agreed, "But she's missing something."

He held out the box to Kira and she opened it to reveal a black Suna forehead protector. Kira smiled and tied it onto her head so it sat on top of her head like Sakura's did. Gaara smiled softly at his lover who smiled back and then summoned her two katana so that they were strapped to her back using the obi.

"Kazekage-sama!" someone called out and Kira's attention snapped to the direction the voice came from as did everyone else's.

They saw a ninja of chunin rank running towards them followed by a dozen or so ANBU.

"What?" Gaara asked rather annoyed.

"It is time for you to announce your choice of a Shadow." The man said bowing, "The council has unfortunately told the village that it would be tonight."

"Will the council be there as well?" Kira asked and the man nodded, "Good."

"First I have to go see someone since I promised them I would." Gaara stated and they walked off to the shop that he bought the hair picks from.

"It is an honor to meet you, Kira-sama." The man stated as he bowed low, "I hope that you find my daughters tools useful."

"I am sure that I will. They are ingenious in design. Where is your daughter so that I may thank her personally?" Kira asked politely and saw the man's face sink.

"She is no longer with us. She was killed during a mission in the Tea Country by rogue ninjas. Those picks were the last things she made."

"I am sorry for your loss." Kira said sincerely, "I am surprised you sold them at all."

"I wasn't going to sell them, but I saw that Gaara-sama wanted them so I decided to part with them. When he told me that they were for you I felt honored. When he came back for a second pair I decided that the only way I could part with them was if I met you in return."

"I will honor the memory of your daughter." Kira stated and bowed low to the man.

"I trust you to. If Kazekage-sama trusts you, then I trust you." The man said as they left.

They walked towards the Kazekage's tower mentally preparing for the upcoming announcement. Kakashi and Sasuke rejoined them at the tower saying that the entire time he was gone he was getting Sasuke, who looked bored. They went up to Gaara's office where Gaara donned his official robes and hat then had Temari and Kankuro bring him another set of robes that were similar to his but grey with a much darker shade of blue.

"These are the official Kage no Kage robes." Kankuro stated to Kira, "Your forehead protector is also specially made for the position."

Kira looked at him then took it off and looked at it and found that it was made of a darker metal than the others' and had a special compartment right behind the metal for something.

"There are a lot of people out there." Sakura stated as she looked out of the window and Naruto sat in the corner sulking.

"Naruto, what's wrong?" Kira asked and he looked at her with.

"Nothing." He lied and looked at the floor sulking again.

"Don't lie to me, Uzumaki." Kira said, "What's wrong? You're sulking like a two year-old."

"You're gonna be the Kage no Kage! Gaara's the Kazekage! I'm still no where close to being the Hokage! I was the last of my age group to advance out of the genin level!" he said and went on ranting about how he had to train harder now and how he was so far behind in fulfilling his dream and how jealous he was right now.

"Naruto…Naruto…" Kira called as he ranted, "NARUTO!"

"Huh?" he said looking up confused.

"What if I promise to teach you something that would make you stronger?"

"What?"

"I don't know yet."

"OKAY! This is definitely gonna help me be Hokage one day, BELIEVE IT!" Naruto shouted jumping up and striking a pose.

"Is he always like this?" Kira asked in a whisper to Sakura who pretty much had a giant sweat drop on her head.

"You have no idea." Sakura whispered back as they watched Naruto jump up in down at the idea of being taught something new and Kira shook her head.

"Gaara-san…" Kakashi called.

"Yes?" Gaara answered as he finally put on his hat.

"Why are there so many ANBU?" the copy-nin asked as he looked out of the window, "There's so many stationed in the crowd that I lost count at 57. That surely must mean they're leaving their stations from around the village to be here."

"They're going to contest my decision and Kira's position." Gaara said in a growl.

"Why?" Sasuke asked as he leaned up against a wall.

"Because," Gaara said and glared at Sasuke, unwilling to talk about it in front of the Uchiha, since he was very aware of the Sharingan user's past affiliations, "The Kage no Kage is the head of the ANBU."

"They won't like it that I've never been in ANBU not to mention I'm a very new face, and a foreign Jinchuuriki face to boot." Kira stated and pushed her sleeve up to adjust the black hand guards on her hands.

"Where did those come from?" Gaara asked of the guards.

"Same place the katana came from, Gaara-kun." She replied and rolled up her sleeve some more to show him the whole thing, "The guard _is_ made of crystal, a very thin black crystal that won't break or be cut through. I used to just use regular ones, but they never lasted so I made these. They're very light so they don't hinder my swing or movement. They also add a little more weight to my punches."

"You are full of many surprises, Kira-chan." Gaara said grinning at her, "Put the robe on, but not the hat. After I announce you as the accepted Kage no Kage, I'll hand it to you and then you put it on."

"First they'll have to accept me." Kira said as she put on her robe.

_Clothes are never a frivolity: they always mean something. ~James Laver_

**A/N: Like I said before, I'm sorry for the wait. The next chapter will be much more interesting, I promise since I'm planning a fight scene.**


	9. Chapter 8: Acceptance

**A/N: Hey, here's the next chapter. Things are gonna get a little hot soon. Hope you enjoy it.**

Chapter 8: Acceptance 

"I accept you as my Shadow and that is what it takes for one to become the Shadow. The council has proposed Shadows before but since I didn't accept them they never became my Shadow."

"I'll still have to get them to accept me if we want this to work." Kira stated as she walked up to Gaara.

"If anyone can do it…it's you." Gaara said and kissed her softly, "Just don't kill anyone."

"Well…there goes plan A." Kira teased as she mockingly sulked then smiled and laughed as Gaara chuckled.

"It's time." Temari stated as she opened the office door and they walked out towards the front of the building where a platform for announcements was erected.

Gaara was the last one out before Kira, who stayed behind until she was announced. As she heard Gaara address the crowd she felt a twinge of nervousness then heard Kaminari speak to her.

"_**Take a deep calming breath, child. You will be an excellent leader.**_"

"_How will I make them accept me?_"

"_**By using the most fun method I know of…fight them and show them who they are dealing with. If they refuse your leadership…give them the chance to show you they don't need it by letting them challenge you. Just, as Gaara said, don't kill anyone. Heal those you injure after you are done. Expect the unexpected, Kira.**_"

"As such it is my final decision to appoint as my Shadow, Tsukino Kira." She heard Gaara announce and stepped out of the door to a quiet crowd.

She stared out at the throng of people staring expectantly at her as she walked to the deck where Gaara and the others were waiting. She saw the dozens of ANBU masks staring blankly at her and could feel their disapproval. She saw Kumiko staring up at her proudly as she stood next to the man that gave her the hair picks as he stood next to a young girl wearing the gear of an academy student with hair picks just like Kira's in her hair. The man said something to her and looked up at Kira and smiled. She took a deep breath and stood next to Gaara as he handed her the official hat of her position. She bowed as she took it then faced the people as she felt a shift in chakra.

"People of Sunagakure I accept this heavy burden with the hope to make Suna a stronger and better village." Kira said and saw several ANBU stop in their tracks then one stood up.

"I refuse to accept you as my superior!" the female ANBU, wearing a cat mask, stated angrily, "You are not of this village! I refuse to accept you as fit for the position! We don't need you!"

"How many of you feel the same?" Kira asked as she stared out at the crowd and saw about half of the ANBU present step forward, "I see. Then this is my first action as Kage no Kage…I will give you all the chance to prove to me that you don't need me. If you can defeat me then I'll leave and you will never have to deal with me again. Do you accept this proposal?"

The ANBU stared at her then at each other for a second.

"Yes!" they all shouted in unison.

"As you wish. I will see you in the training grounds in an hour. Just remember to bring everything you've got." Kira stated and turned around and walked back to the Kazekage's tower followed by the others and a Gaara, whose hat was hiding everything except a devilish grin as he watched his lover put the hat on and look back at him with the same grin.

An hour later they arrived at the largest training ground Suna had, complete with pillars in the middle of it and high walls surrounding it, to see most of the village surrounding it ready to watch the upcoming battle. Gaara and Kira walked up to the platform where the rest of the council was sitting in their official robes. Gaara sat down in his chair as the others sat in their seats. Kira watched the ANBU walk out onto the field. She stepped onto the railing of the platform and looked down at the two dozen ANBU staring at her.

"This is how it's going to work." Gaara stated, "There will be no use of weapons during this."  
"That's not quite fair to them." Kira stated, "I say let them use their weapons after the first five minutes…if it takes that long. I need to test their skills with weaponry as well remember."

"As you wish, Kira-chan." Gaara stated and they heard a collective gasp from the crowd at the fact that their Kazekage had used and endearment.

"And to clarify things…yes the Kazekage and I are together…he's mine." Kira stated as she looked at the female ANBU that spoke out before then threw off her robes, "Let's do this."

She took off running down the wall and unsheathed her katana and drove them into the wall at one spot and left them there as a sign that she was taking the period of no weapons seriously. She was down off of the wall into the middle of the field when the ANBU flickered out of her path and she met the first one, the female wearing the cat mask, face to face and Kira smiled wickedly.

The woman charged at her and started throwing out every punch and kick that she could in a furious attempt to hit Kira. Kira blocked every strike then flickered out of the next one which ended up striking the person that had appeared behind her. The kick ended up knocking the ANBU member into the far wall.

"You missed." Kira stated to the woman as she sat on top of a pillar then jumped down just as another two ANBU members hit the pillar shattering it and the remaining ANBU flickered around her, "Alright then, it's time to get serious."

Kira flickered to the falling pieces of the pillar and kicked one of the larger pieces at the closest ANBU as three others tried to surround her and simultaneously send a fierce kick at her. She fought them off using taijutsu combinations that none of them had ever seen before. As the five minute marker came closer Kira took off running towards the opposite wall as a council member announced that weapons could now be used. She felt a shuriken fly past her ear as she reached the wall and she turned around and faced the two dozen ANBU and their katana and shuriken.

"This is going to be interesting." Gaara stated as he stared at his mate smile then run at the group of ninja bent on destroying her and flicker to behind them and send her own shuriken at them hitting two in the back.

The remaining ANBU threw their shuriken at her after managing to surround her at one point. Just as they were about to hit her ten black crystal clones of her shot up from the ground catching the shuriken as well as catching the ANBU off guard. The clones melted back into the ground as fast as they appeared. What followed this is best described as a fast paced furious battle. Kira fought them off one by one and in some cases two by two until she reached the wall where her katana were embedded. She ran up the wall and reached her katana but was met with a kick on her back sending her into the wall. She grabbed her katana and kicked off against the wall, forcing them out of the wall, and landed on the ground with a crystal katana in each hand as she crouched on the ground.

"Let me show you how it's done." She said and charged at them dragging her katana and leaving a trail of debris behind her.

If the ANBU thought they were stronger than her at all during this fight they learned then just how wrong they were. She charged at one of them and met him blade to blade and proceeded to battle with him furiously until he managed land a kick on her stomach and send her flying backwards as they all threw their kunai at her. When she landed she reflected all of the kunai back at them as her blades flurried around her. Those that were not hit charged at her. One cut through a pillar as another tossed it at her. Unfazed, she dashed under it as it was falling and vaulted up cutting it clean in half and kicking it back at them in less than a second.

Gaara saw the shocked expressions of the council out of the corner of his eye and smirked. He continued to watch the fight and became very comfortable in his choice of a Shadow Kazekage. When all but one of the ANBU had been defeated he saw that the entire village was on the edge of their seats as they watched. In two swift movements Kira had disarmed the ANBU and pinned him against a pillar with two katana to his neck. She removed the katana and stepped away from the man who stared at her as she proceeded to heal all those injured in the fight. When they were all healed he dropped to his knees in the lowest bow he could manage and the rest of the ANBU did the same

"I accept your leadership…" the man started as he bowed, "My Kage no Kage."

It was then a thunderous applause went up in the crowd as Kira extended her hand to the man and helped him up and bowed to him as well.

She then jumped up and landed beside Gaara who helped her into her official robes and hat and smiled at her.

"You were amazing, my Kira-chan." Gaara said as they walked out of the training ground hand in hand.

A few hours later after finishing Kira's clothes shopping they arrived home with everything Kira would need clothes wise. A little while later after that Kira stepped into the room she shared with her sand master wrapped in a blood red towel to see him lounging on the chair, his chin resting on his hand, staring at her intently with a small smirk on his face. She watched his eyes scan her as she wrapped herself in an icy blue kimono robe and let the towel fall into the small pile of dirty clothes.

"Like what you see?" she asked coyly and he let out a chuckle and nodded his head and she heard Kaminari mumble something about how Shukaku was really starting to rub off on Gaara.

"Come here." He said with a look in his eyes that Kira found she could not disobey.

She walked over to him and he pulled her down into his lap by her hips so she was straddling him. Kira stared into his eyes as he smirked a little more as he slowly brought his lips to hers and started kissing her softly again and again. He soon dragged his kisses to her neck.

"Why is it every time I see you standing in front of me like that" he started and kissed her neck softly, "I feel the urge to make you mine?"

"Gaara-kun…" she breathed as he kissed her neck again, "I already am yours."

"I know." The Kazekage said and lightly nipped at her neck making Kira draw a sharp breath as he softly licked where he bit her, "I meant physically make you mine. Why do you do this?"

"Do what?" Kira asked breathlessly as he brought his kisses around to the other side of her neck.

"Why do you make me want to do this…and more? Every time I see you look at me with that mischievous look I just want to kiss you all over. You were amazing today…you're so strong and…" he said then growled thinking about how she moved and Kira felt his canines scrap against her collar bone and she growled in response feeling her own canines grow slightly.

"That makes things so much easier…" she said teasingly and she felt him smile against her skin as he stood up taking her with him, "You're attracted to strength."

He pushed her up against the wall next to the bed a little roughly which only made her canines grow a little more.

"You have no idea." He growled into her ear before nipping it a little then planting soft slow kisses from her neck to her shoulder, "I used to seek out the strongest assassins and ninja I could find just to kill them and prove that I was better and existed."

"So are you going to try to kill me?" Kira asked and her fingers dug into his back as Gaara's canines scraped over her collar bone again.

"No." he mumbled against her skin.

"Are you sure?" she asked breathlessly and he took her off of the wall and rested them both on the bed.

"Yes." He stated and leant in as he lay over her to kiss her neck again.

"Because this is torture…" Kira breathed and felt his hand lightly grazing against her thigh, "Such sweet torture."

"I don't want to kill you." He said as his hand slipped under the fabric and slid up her thigh, "I just want to pin you down and make you mine…all mine…torture you like this until you can't take it anymore just to see what you'll do."

"If I get out of your grip you're going to pay for that torture." Kira stated and Gaara rested his weight on her as he lay between her legs, smirked evilly, and licked her neck slowly then kissed it making her moan softly.

"You're not getting out of my grip until you say it." he suddenly ordered and looked down at her as she lay in a daze.

"No." she said and looked up at him as he growled and bent down and nipped at her shoulder making her arch up against him.

"Say it, Kira-chan." The Kazekage said and growled as she shook her head.

"Make me." She said and he smirked.

She soon felt his kisses start to travel down the collar of the robe to where it formed a V right above her breasts and she gasped as she felt his tongue against the skin there. A thought formed in her head at how good he was at this to which Kaminari commented.

"_**Of course he's good at it…he's Shukaku's host.**_"

"_How do you know Shukaku's good at it…damn it…that feels so good._" Kira said and moaned as she felt Gaara smile as he nudged the fabric slightly lower on her right breast so he could get at more skin.

"_**I just do…believe me.**_" Kaminari said as Kira felt Gaara's hand run up her side to just below her left breast.

"Say it Kira-chan." The sand master stated as his hand slowly made its way over her breast to pin her hands above her head, "Don't make me torture you."

"You're enjoying torturing me." Kira stated and Gaara smirked dangerously and licked the exposed skin just above her right nipple.

"Yes I am…it's so much fun…and you taste good. Say it, Kira-chan…" Gaara said and kissed her slowly and passionately before moving those kisses down her neck again.

"I'm yours…" Kira breathed as she arched up into him.

"Whose?" Gaara asked as he pushed his hips against hers.

"Sabaku no Gaara's…yours!" she breathed and he kissed her passionately as they heard a knock on the door.

"What?!" Gaara shouted at the door, obviously angry at being interrupted and they heard Kankuro's voice on the other side.

"I hate interrupting you, Gaara, but there's a message for you. It says the Lord of the Wind Country's holding a 'get together' to welcome the new Kage no Kage and celebrate her victory. All the upper class families will be there and you're expected to attend. It's tonight at nine."

"Can I kill them?!" Kira asked annoyed as well.

"No, Kira, you can't kill them." Kankuro answered trying not to laugh, "Get ready you two. Black and white formal attire, not official. Kira's gonna have to get an evening gown…and you...you know."

"I hate tuxedos…damn western style obsessed lords." Gaara cursed under his breath and let his head drop onto Kira's breasts in defeat then got up.

"Where are you going?" Kira asked as he walked towards the bathroom.

"I'm going to go take a cold shower…I need one after that."

_Leaders are visionaries with a poorly developed sense of fear and no concept of the odds against them. ~Robert Jarvik_

_We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love. ~Author Unknown_

**A/N: Hope you enjoyed that. My boyfriend hasn't been home for three days and won't be home for another 3 so I'm a little love starved so to speak hehehe…**


	10. Chapter 9: Duty

**A/N: Here you go chapter 9. I'm down with a little cold right now so…yeah. R&R.**

Chapter 9: Duty

After Gaara finished showering and the two of them getting dressed they went back to Kumiko to find clothes for the evening. Gaara already had a tuxedo on reserve, much to his disdain, so the main task was dressing Kira, which was very difficult.

"I am not wearing that." Kira said at the dress Temari presented her, "I don't do poofy."

"What about this?" Sakura asked of the next dress.

"I like it…but I don't think it's right for this party. That's more fun formal than formal."

"You're wearing this because I said so." Gaara stated as he brought out a dress from the back.

It was a simple black halter dress with two wide black strips going across the stomach and lacing up in back to make two X's in the back. The first X was the biggest and started halfway down her back and ended three-quarters down it at her waist where the last X started and ended right where her back would start to curve out. The back dipped down to the small of her back. The lacing would cover a lot of skin yet still give enough to remind those looking that it was still there. The laces ended in two ribbons.

"I like it." Kira stated and took it to the back to get dressed then stopped and looked at Temari and Sakura, "Get dressed you're coming too."

"Exactly. You are not leaving the two of us alone with them." Gaara said and shoved Naruto and Kankuro into the dressing room with the tuxes.

"Kankuro?!" Kira called.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Don't wear any makeup." She said and Gaara let out a laugh.

A little while later Sakura and Temari walked out all ready for the event and sat down by the guys who were sitting rather miserably in their tuxes.

"Where's Kira?" Naruto asked as he fidgeted with his tie.

"Talking to Kumiko." Sakura stated and Kumiko walked out.

"Gaara-san, you have excellent taste. Kira is ready, so don't faint when she comes out…and no tackling either; I've worked too hard for it to be ruined by you jumping on her." Kumiko stated as Kira walked out of the back in the dress with her hair put up in a messy bun using the hair picks that Gaara had bought her and a smoky eye shadow around her eyes.

"Like what you see, Gaara-kun?" Kira asked as she walked over to him and admired him in his tux, "Because I like what I see."

"You know it. Let's go or we're going to be late." Gaara said as he offered his arm to her and they all left for the event.

A little while later they arrived at the mansion of the Wind Country's lord and were announced in.

"Arriving: Godaime Kazekage, Sabaku no Gaara and Rokudaime Kage no Kage, Tsukino Kira." The man announced and the gathered people stared as they entered the room.

They were soon met by the Wind Country's lord and his wife who complimented Kira on her dress.

"You have definitely appointed the prettiest Kage no Kage I've ever seen, Gaara-sama." She stated to Gaara who nodded with a small smile.

"And the strongest." The lord stated, "Suna will prosper under your joint leadership. Come, many are anxious to meet the new Kage no Kage."

"You mean meet the young lady that has found her way into the Kazekage's heart." His wife stated as they walked towards the first group of people, "Everyone here knows Gaara-sama's reputation and are shocked to see him so open about his feelings for you."

For the next two hours they did nothing but meet the high society of Suna and the Wind Country. Sakura and Naruto were there as the Konoha representatives so they did a lot of mingling as well. Kankuro was sitting at the bar flirting with some woman while Temari talked with the head of the academy.

"Are you enjoying yourself, Kira-sama?" asked an elderly man who was introduced to Kira as the head of one of the most prominent ninja families in Suna.

Kira imagined he must have been something in his prime to be the head of a prominent family since he looked no more dangerous than a dandelion tuft floating on a breeze. His hair was thin and as white as fresh snow was after a storm and his face was creased with lines burying any scars that might be there. He moved delicately as if he were afraid of disturbing any dust that might settle on the floor. Like everyone else around her he smiled at her and the Kazekage but unlike the majority of the others his smile was real. Kira felt strangely fond of this old man as if he were an old friend.

"I am Akifumi-sama." Kira stated and he looked at her with a mischievous look in his grey eyes, which were the only things that did not look old on him.

"Neither am I." he said and laughed as Kira did, "Don't use sama with me, everybody does and it gets tiring. Even my grandchildren refuse to use anything less although I'd like them too."

"If we used anything less than san, Gaara would think you're trying to steal me away." Kira stated jokingly and he nodded, "He tends to be a little on the selfish side."

"I know he is. We all know his reputation from before he was Kazekage, Kira-san." The old man stated and Kira looked at him.

"I don't, Akifumi-san. I know what he has told me, but he does not like to talk about it. I know what he was back then, since he told me himself, but I do not know what the people thought of him. They seem to respect and revere him but I still notice some different stares and I'm sure he does too."

"The people hated him." The old man stated, "They were terrified of him and what's in him. They were afraid of the sand that he controlled and protected him since when he was little he couldn't really control it as masterfully as he does now. Years before Gaara became the Fifth Kazekage, his father, the Fourth, was told that the budget for the village was going to be cut drastically by the Wind Lord. He lost faith in Suna and sent most of the missions to Konoha, Naruto-san's village. This is what in a sense, made Gaara a Jinchuuriki instead of a regular boy. As you know the Fourth's plan of making his son into a master weapon to control did not turn out so well. What you don't know is that the Fourth did call off the assassination attempts on Gaara's life when he realized that his 'failed experiment' could be useful in a plan of his: to destroy Konoha." The old man stated as he looked out at the garden and sighed.

"I thought Suna had an alliance with Konoha from before Gaara was born."

"We did, but the budget cuts made the Fourth decide that peace was not worth it. So he made a mistake, he formed a so-called alliance with the Sound country and a man named Orochimaru. This man was once a sanin…a great ninja."

"I've heard of them." Kira stated.

"He was from Konoha like the other two but deserted it when he became obsessed with forbidden jutsu and a few other reasons. He killed the Fourth Kazekage, the Fifth Kage no Kage, and the rest of the Kazekage's guard. He then posed as the Kazekage during the Genin Exams which is when the invasion of Konoha was supposed to take place." He stated and went on to describe the battle that followed and the battle between Naruto and Gaara and the following events between Konoha and Suna, "It's also when he decided to become Kazekage like how Naruto wants to be Hokage. Everyone knows about that, Kira, he tells everyone."

"Naruto does have a loud mouth." Kira stated, "But that's what makes him who he is."

"Yes it does. The council and the village at first didn't want him as Kazekage but the council eventually agreed to it when the jounin's voted him in and rallied for him, lead by his brother and sister, but mostly his brother. Kankuro hated Gaara too, you see, but he was even more terrified of him. After the attack on Konoha and the defeat they grew closer and as you've seen, Kankuro loves his brother very much. I'm starting to ramble. An unfortunate effect of my old age I'm afraid. Anyway, the people of the village have come to love Gaara. Some still hate him for what he is and always will. We have Naruto to thank for the first good change in Gaara. I have a feeling we're going to have you to thank for a lot." The old shinobi stated as he looked over at Gaara who was patiently listening to the Wind Lord's youngest daughter ramble about her teddy bear's dress, "I feel a great change in our Kazekage; a very good change."

"Some might say I'm weakening him." Kira stated, "My former Kage believed that to love and show caring or sadness was weakness. As such my village eventually believed the same. I grew strong in my old village but not because of that philosophy. I grew strong because I had to protect myself and, for a brief time, the two people that cared about me. I failed them in that so I left my village. There is no weakness in loving others. It's what makes us stronger. Love encourages us to be stronger to protect those loved ones."

"Where are you from, Kira-sama?" Akifumi asked, "No one seems to know when I ask them."

"I'm from Hoshiyamagakure in the Spirit Country." Kira stated as pleasantly as she could since she was getting tired of questions especially ones of her home village.

"Beautiful country." The man stated and Kira looked at him shocked, "Yes, I've had the opportunity to visit the Spirit Country. It is beautiful, but dangerous considering they aren't the friendliest as you've stated."

"What brought you Hoshiyama, Akifumi-san? If you don't mind my prying." Kira asked as Gaara rejoined them with a drink for Kira.

"I was researching bijuu activity at the time. This was before you were born I can assure you." The man stated to Gaara and Kira, "Chiyo-san was adamant about someone travelling there to research the activity there. It was a hard task to get anywhere near the village, but I managed to get there through a subterranean cave."

"Why was the Spirit Country so interesting?" Gaara asked.

"Because the country is a hot bed of spirit activity, as Kira-san can tell you. It is reported that more bijuu have surfaced from the Demon World than any other place. The Ten-Tailed Griffin, Kaminari is said to have spent a number of years there before disappearing into the Demon World then a few after resurfacing. I've been told that you host her."

"I do." Kira stated, "Kaminari is a unique presence…and very secretive."

"So is Shukaku these days." Gaara stated, "He usually won't shut up."

"A powerful Kage no Kage you have acquired for Suna, Gaara-sama."

"I acquired her for myself," Gaara stated, "I'm only letting Suna borrow her."

"Thank you then, Gaara-sama and Kira-sama." The man said as Kira grinned, "Anyway, back to the Spirit Country. I was researching the power levels of the area to determine the location of bijuu. I was forced to leave after being discovered by a resident of the country. We must talk more of this later, Kira-san; I'm being summoned by my wife."

The man walked away after bowing to Kira as she bowed back. She walked over to Sakura who was starting to get annoyed with a young ninja who was trying to flirt with her as Gaara went to check on his brother.

"Sakura-chan, come keep me company, I'm lonely," Kira called to Sakura and the pink-haired kunoichi unclenched her fists and the man looked at Kira and smiled and started walking towards Kira.

"I'll keep you company." The man stated with a smile.

"No, you won't." Kira stated as she walked past him to get to her friend.

"Yes, I think I will." The man said and walked with her.

"I said no." Kira stated as calmly as she could as the man tried steering her away from her friend and the group.

"You need to loosen up, dear. Come, let's go have fun." He said.

"You're not going to have any fun with her." A voice stated from behind him and the man turned around.

"Why not, Kazekage-_sama_?" the man asked annoyed.

"Because she's mine." Gaara stated and held out his hand for Kira who took it and was pulled towards her sand master whose arm wrapped around her possessively.

"Yes I am…and no one else's." Kira stated nuzzling into Gaara's chest and glared at the man, "So leave me alone or I'll probably kill you…and leave Sakura alone or she _will_ kill you."

"I hate him." Gaara stated they walked away towards Sakura who was sitting at the bar with Kankuro and Naruto, "He's the son of one of the head of the Suna Medical Center. As such you'd think he'd be useful for something."

"Where's Temari?" Kankuro asked when they reached the bar.

"Getting ready to leave." Gaara said and a few minutes later they bid their goodbyes and had one last conversation with Akifumi.

"I am honored to have met you, Kira-san." The old man stated and Kira smiled.

"It is an honor to have met you too, Akifumi-san. It is rare that I meet people that know of my home country."

"It is a beautiful country with the most spectacular view of the heavens at night. I've never seen so many stars, not even here in the Wind Country. The only thing that was missing was the moon, but that mountain blocks it out." Akifumi stated as he looked up at the cloud covered sky.

"I've never seen the moon, actually." Kira admitted.

"That is surprising." The man said and smiled at Gaara, "Well, it's time for me to get going. I'm sure we will see each other again soon, Kira-san. Until then, Gaara-san, you take good care of our Kage no Kage or you'll have me to answer to."

Gaara nodded as they shook hands and the old shinobi left with his wife. The two Jinchuuriki and company arrived home a short while later and everyone retired to their rooms. Kira went into the closet and changed into some pajamas as Gaara did the same. Gaara settled into bed with a book and Kira climbed in beside him and fell asleep. The next morning they got ready for Kira's first day in office. They arrived at the Kazekage's Tower around eight in the morning and went up to Gaara's office, which was now their office. As usual Gaara had a stack of paperwork to fill out and Kira had some of her own.

"Alright, Kira-chan, let's get to work." Gaara stated and gave her a soft kiss.

For the rest of the morning they filled out their respective paperwork and Kira learned what she was responsible for as Kage no Kage. Besides being in charge of ANBU, Kira was expected to make public appearances with the Kazekage and serve as a bodyguard for him.

"As if you need one." Kira said laughing and Gaara shrugged.

She was also responsible for overseeing the village's trade and business. Once a week she was expected to stop by the Academy with the Kazekage to see how the students were doing. It was optional to teach a class once a week, and she was free to take on students as she pleased. If such a thing came to rise, she was also expected to oversee all interrogations as well as help the Kazekage settle disputes within the village. Anywhere the Kazekage went, she was expected to go as well. She was also expected to help the Kazekage with assigning missions to the ninja and dealing with clients. She was also to help him with the mission debriefing.

"How was your mission?" Gaara asked a group of ninja standing before him.

"It went well. The architect was escorted safely to his destination." One of them answered.

"Did you have any trouble with the raiders on the Tea Road?" Gaara asked studying the mission statement.

"A little but the threat was neutralized." Another stated.

"Alright, you're dismissed." Gaara stated and stamped the seal onto the paper as they left and a group of genin with their sensei walked in.

"I see here your mission was to 'rescue the heiress Mari's beloved pet dog, Taku'." Kira read from the mission statement.

"Yes, Kage no Kage-sama." A young boy stated.

"How did that go?" Gaara asked as he looked at the genin all covered in dirt and scratches.

"He bit me." Another boy stated angrily.

"You just have no way with animals," the only girl stated, "We brought him safely back to her mansion, Kazekage-sama."

"What is your opinion on their performance?" Kira asked their sensei.

"I suppose they performed well enough, but could definitely improve their teamwork."

"I think I would have to agree. If you three had worked together instead of trying to outdo each other it would not have taken you three days to catch this ten year old dog who is partially blind." Kira stated, "You're dismissed. Remember to work on that team work."

A few hours Gaara and Kira took a lunch break then attended a meeting discussing the success of the academy. After that Kira and Gaara parted ways as Kira went to the ANBU training ground to meet the rest of the members. When she arrived they stood in front of her in ranks and bowed.

"From what I saw yesterday you all need a lot of work." Kira said as she stood in front of them in her official robes, "From here on out you will report here once a week to go through a series of training procedures with me on top of your current training schedule. So that this training does not deplete the village of its defense you will be split up into three groups and will train with me on different days. Group A will train with me on Mondays, Group B on Wednesdays, and Group C on Fridays. Once a month the Kazekage will observe your progress. Got it?"

"Yes, Kage no Kage-sama!" they answered and were split into the three groups.

"What will the training consist of?" one woman asked.

"A little bit of everything and some new things I'm pretty sure you've never implemented into your training. Just remember that I expect you to give me your all during training…no half ass attempts at it. If I see you doing that I'll intensify everyone's training." Kira stated, "The same thing will happen if I catch one of you skipping these sessions. I am not a lenient person. Alright, tomorrow is Wednesday so Group B will report here at five pm sharp."

"What should we bring?" one man asked after all but Group B was dismissed.

"Everything you've got." Kira stated, "Tomorrow will be an intensive endurance based training followed by a lesson in focus. I'd suggest wearing comfortable shoes."

"Don't run them into the ground, Kira-chan." Gaara stated as he walked into the training area in his robes and the ANBU bowed.

"You are dismissed. Remember, five p.m. sharp. If any of you are late it'll only make it worse." Kira stated and they all left except for one ANBU member who approached the female Jinchuuriki after everyone else had left, "What can I do for you?"

"I saw your fight yesterday." The young female voice stated, "You are incredibly agile and strong. Will this training help me become like that?"

"What is your name?" Kira asked and looked at the woman who was wearing a sheep mask and had short brown hair.

"Matsuri, when did you get back?" Gaara asked and Kira looked at him curiously.

"Yesterday, Gaara-sensei." Matsuri admitted as she took off her mask and Kira looked at the two of them even more curiously as the girl looked down sheepishly.

"Matsuri is my only student." Gaara stated to Kira, "She is only recently ANBU…against my better judgment since I didn't think she was prepared for it. She just got back from a reconnaissance mission to the Sound Country. You should have reported to my office this morning, Matsuri."

"Why _didn't_ you report to us this morning?" Kira asked and Matsuri started stuttering.

"I-I was going to but I…got nervous. You're so powerful, Kira-sama, and I'm not. Gaara-sensei was right…I'm not ready for ANBU. I still haven't mastered the jouhyou Gaara-sensei gave me." She admitted and Kira sighed and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You lack confidence in yourself, Matsuri. Gaara-kun gave you a very versatile and difficult weapon to learn. I see great potential in you if you only learn to believe in yourself." Kira stated and Matsuri looked at her, "If you wish and if your sensei allows it…I will personally train you until you are caught up with the other ANBU."

"You'd do that?" Matsuri asked smiling.

"Yes. A person that has mastered the rope dart would be a great benefit to ANBU since not many choose it as a weapon. I will teach you the best way I know. I will admit that although I mastered all weapons, I wasn't the best with the jouhyou." Kira stated.

"Who was if you weren't?" Matsuri asked.

"My sister, Kokoro, was." Kira stated rather sadly, "She mastered the jouhyou by the age of 12 although she preferred a chain whip as her main weapon she always carried a rope dart with her. After training tomorrow report to me to begin your training. Your training will be much more intensive than the others and I expect you to come for it three days a week after the group training sessions. I'm going to work you hard, Matsuri."

"I will not disappoint you Kira-sensei…if I may address you as sensei." Matsuri said, confidently at first then timidly.

"You may." Kira stated, "Now go home and rest, you're going to have a busy day."

"Yes, sensei." Matsuri stated and took off running.

"And report for debriefing first thing tomorrow!" Kira called after her.

Gaara stared at Kira knowingly for a minute and she stared back curiously.

"You're training her because of what she has in common with your sister, aren't you?" Gaara asked.

"Maybe…I don't know." Kira stated, "Let's go home. I have a busy day tomorrow."

_If a girl looks swell when she meets you, who gives a damn if she's late? Nobody. ~J.D. Salinger, __The Catcher in the Rye__, Chapter 17_

**A/N: There you go. Chapter 9 up and running. Still a little…blah right now so I hope you enjoyed it. I'll be writing Chapter 10 when I feel better.**


	11. Chapter 10: Sensing

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. I've been apartment hunting and it's taking up a lot of my time. Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Naruto characters…the other ones are all mine as is the idea.**

Chapter 10: Sensing

The next day went pretty much the same with mission debriefings, including Matsuri's, and a meeting. At four thirty Kira arrived at the ANBU training grounds in her robes and waited for her ninja to arrive. One by one they all arrived, Matsuri was the first, and by five everyone was there. Kira removed her robes and stood in front of the group of about thirty ANBU or so.

"Alright this is Day One. For those of you that have not realized it yet…I am a Jinchuuriki. I am the host of the Ten-Tailed Griffin, Kaminari. As such none of you will ever be able to reach the level I am at. I am not saying this to belittle you…I'm only telling you a simple truth. This training is not to make you as strong as I am…it's to make you stronger than you are now. Any questions?" Kira asked as she stood with her hands on her hips in front of them.

"Kage no Kage-sama?" a man wearing a dog mask asked.

"Yes?"

"Should we always address you as Kage no Kage-sama during these sessions?"

"You don't always have to. You can address me as Kira-sama if you like. I don't know any of you well enough to allow anything less formal than that." She stated, "Any others? No? Alright then, today's training as I said yesterday will be endurance based. First on the list today is to warm up for the training." She said and then lead them through a series of warm ups, "Alright, now the training begins."

Kira brought her hands together in front of her nose as she stood up straight with her knees locked together. The ANBU felt a great shift in energy as she slid her feet apart from each other then slammed her palms into the ground. She looked up at them as the wind blew through her hair and the ground shook. A course of pillars, platforms, planks, and ramps made from a cloudy kind of crystal shot up from the ground.

"This is the course for the day. It's really just a test to see how far you can be pushed. You are to make your way from this pillar and back as many times as you can during the next hour of your training. If you fall down from a pillar at any point in the course you will do twenty crunches and ten push ups before coming back to the start pillar and starting your circuit again." Kira stated, "Go!"

They all took off and proceeded through the course, some paced themselves; some went as fast as they could. Kira summoned a pillar and sat on top of it as she watched them go through the course. After they had all made it through about three times Kira decided to make it a little harder so she performed a jutsu to make the pillars a little more unstable and shake. As she watched the ANBU train she noticed one of them as being on the ground more than anybody. Kira only shook her head as she watched Matsuri yet again climb to the top of the start pillar. Half an hour into the training she felt a familiar presence and summoned a pillar beside hers. A pink haired kunoichi jumped onto it and sat down.

"Kira-chan, I was wondering where you were." Sakura stated smiling and grimaced as she saw five ANBU fall on top of each other, "Gaara said you'd be here. He seemed a little grumpy."

"Why?" Kira asked and made another mental note of how many circuits each member had completed.

"Other than you're not there with him...the usual stack of paperwork and Kankuro and Naruto arguing about something." Sakura stated as she watched Kira intensify the course when she saw someone slacking off.

"So why were you looking for me?" Kira asked as she felt another presence in the vicinity.

"I was craving some female company. Temari went to the Academy so she left me with... the boys." Sakura stated.

"You don't like being around Uchiha do you?" Kira asked and Sakura blinked, "I can sense that there was something between you, Naruto, and him. No one has told me why, but I can sense something. I know that Temari and Kankuro don't like him at all. I also sense a very distinct and intense kill instinct emanate from Gaara when ever Sasuke looks at me…well at _anybody_ really. I sense something distinct about him myself."

"_**Uchiha Madara…had the same distinctness about him…a horrible man…thing. I'll never forgive him for what he did to my brother.**_" Kira heard Kaminari state.

"Hm" Kira stated out loud and Sakura looked at her again, "If I remember my Bingo Book correctly the Uchiha clan has a bloodline trait. The Sharingan if I'm not mistaken. Well…_had_ a bloodline trait. The whole clan was wiped out by one Uchiha Itachi…Sasuke's older brother. Other than those facts I know nothing about the family."

"It's…complicated with us." Sakura stated, "All I ever wanted was to be with Sasuke then he left the village and all I wanted was for him to come back. Now that he has…I don't know…it feels different."

"How?" Kira asked, "I can sense that you need to talk about this to someone…so talk to me about it, Sakura-chan. We're friends right?"

Sakura nodded and told Kira the details about Team 7 from Konoha. Kira listened intently as the ANBU ran their course and she told Kaminari to keep track of their progress. Sakura talked for the next half hour and Kira listened until she was finished.

"So that's why Gaara doesn't trust him at all." Kira stated and Sakura nodded, "Do you trust him?"

"I…"Sakura started then closed her eyes, "I don't know anymore."

"Sakura-chan?" Kira stated and Sakura looked at her, "You are not weak, Sakura. I know that look…very well. There's someone out there that will love you for who you are."

"It must be my lucky day! Two beautiful ladies just perched there for me to look at." They heard a voice state.

"Kankuro…what brings you here?" Kira asked without looking at the puppet master who was standing below them

"Boredom mostly." He admitted as Kira lowered the pillars as the time limit passed.

"TIME'S UP!!!!" Kira yelled and the course disappeared into the sand as the ANBU stared at her panting heavily and she listed out their complete circuits, "Matsuri! You continue to disappoint me by only completing twenty circuits. Alright then, the last part of today's training is a little training in focus."

For the remaining half hour, after summoning enough short pillars for all the ANBU to balance on, Kira led the entire group through a series of balance related tai chi forms. After they were done Kira dismissed the entire group and ended the day's training. All of them except Matsuri left the training grounds. Kira told Kankuro and Sakura that she'd see them in an hour. After they left Matsuri bowed to Kira and took off her mask.

"What will you train me in today, Kira-sensei?" Matsuri asked.

"Flexibility. You have a very small range of motion for a ninja. For the next hour we are going to work on your flexibility." Kira stated and the training started.

Kira was true to her word; she trained Matsuri in nothing but flexibility for the next hour. Kira realized Matsuri was trying the best she could but was still struggling. She was constantly worried about disappointing Kira. Matsuri was very stiff the entire time and Kira knew that for her to master the rope dart she would have to loose that stiffness. After the hour was up Kira dismissed Matsuri and walked out of the training ground to see Kankuro leaning up against the wall of the building across the street.

"What is it Kankuro?" Kira asked walking up to him.

"We can't find Uchiha." He stated, "Kakashi said he went to go train more after Sakura left to find you, but he's not in any of the training grounds. Gaara told me to let you know after you got done with training."

"I know where he is." Kira stated as she and Kankuro started walking towards the Academy.

"You do?" Kankuro asked just blindly following her.

"Where's Sakura?" she asked.

"She went to see Temari at the…Academy. He's following her isn't he?" Kankuro asked.

"Yes, he is." Kira stated and quickened her pace as they saw Naruto down the street.

"Kira-chan, have you two found Sasuke yet?" Naruto asked and Gaara appeared next to him in a gust of sand.

"You should have never let him out of your sight, Naruto." Gaara stated with his arms folded across his chest as he wore his official robes and hat.

"It's not my fault! If Kankuro would have just admitted that the best ramen comes from Konoha I would not have lost track of him!" Naruto complained.

"He's following Sakura." Kira stated and they looked at her, "I felt his presence when she came to visit me before."

A minute or two later they reached the academy and found Temari and Sakura talking to a group of students. Kira felt the Uchiha as soon as they entered the Academy's grounds.

"What are you guys doing here?" Temari asked and Kira flicked her eyes to a shadowed part of the small training area of the Academy and mouthed Sasuke.

"Just stopping by before we head home." Kira stated, "It's my turn to make dinner and I was wondering if you wanted anything special."

"Um…not really. Sakura you want anything?" Temari asked and she shook her head.

"Sasuke you want anything?" Kira asked at the shadows and a slightly shocked and irritated Uchiha walked out.

"How did you know I was there?" he asked as he rejoined the group.

"I feel chakra in a way that I'm able to distinguish people from their chakra." Kira stated, "Yours is very…gloomy. You've really got to work on that."

A few days later after dinner they sat around and talked a little about the day and it was revealed that Team 7 from Konoha was to begin their trip home the following morning. Soon, one by one, they all began to leave for bed until only Gaara, Kira, and Naruto were left.

"So your seal is on your stomach?" Kira asked during a conversation about their seals.

"Yep." Naruto stated as he held up his shirt revealing the seal and Kira stared at it.

"It's very…swirly looking…Dead Demon Consuming Seal. Two Four Symbol Seals surrounding it." Kira stated and poked it, "Eight Trigrams Sealing Style"

"_**It allows him to draw on my brother's chakra.**_" Kaminari stated, "_**It will weaken over time, but is re-sealable. It is similar to yours only in that it allows the host to draw on the demon's chakra. You have so much chakra of your own that you rarely ever draw on mine, though.**_"

"Hm." Kira stated to Kaminari and continued staring, "Mine is nothing like that at all."

"What does yours look like?" Gaara asked.

"Mine is on my eyes." Kira stated and the two male Jinchuuriki stared confusedly at her, "Kaminari was sealed through my eyes. It's why she is so close to the surface for me. Naruto you've said that most of the time you aren't even aware of the Kyuubi's presence. My seal is stronger than yours and weaker at the same time. There is no chance of my seal weakening by itself or Kaminari escaping, but her chakra and influence are free to come and go as they please. I'm just lucky that she doesn't want to hurt me."

"Still…your eyes?" Naruto asked, "I've never heard of that before…"

"Kaminari was pulled through Kira's father, sacrificing him, then drawn in through Kira's eyes since that was the point her mother set as the easiest point of entry into the host." Gaara stated remembering what he saw.

"She originally intended to split Kaminari into my brother and me. She wanted to seal the yang side into me and the yin side into my brother. From what you tell me of your father, _he_ might have succeeded in the split since he was by far more talented than that woman, but as such she failed."

"_**I chose you as my host because I sensed you'd be stronger and therefore more capable of housing me, Kira.**_" Kaminari stated.

"It's still strange that it was done through your eyes." Naruto stated and Kira focused her chakra until her eyes glowed purple.

"See? If you look close enough you can see the seal." Kira stated and Gaara and Naruto stared.

"I see it." Gaara stated.

"Where?" Naruto asked.

"In her pupil is the main seal to bind Kaminari into Kira. It's that small circle that looks like it's made of lightning. Then in the iris is an Eight Symbol Seal that allows Kaminari's chakra to be drawn on whenever Kira needs it." Gaara pointed out.

"I see it now. It's very tiny." Naruto stated.

"Are you two done staring at me?" Kira asked and her eyes went back to brown.

"I'm never done staring at you." Gaara stated and smirked.

Kira smiled at him and shook her head. After awhile they began talking about jutsu.

"So your first jutsu was…that?" Kira asked as she pointed to Naruto in his Sexy No Jutsu form and he nodded.

"You had issues as a child." Gaara stated and Naruto returned to his normal form and laughed.

"So what was yours?" Naruto asked.

"Now before you go saying I have a Crystal Release style fighting form, I don't. I control crystal the way Gaara does sand. Crystal Release can't crystallize chakra, I can. The crystal I use is from the Demon Realm, or Spirit Realm as some call it, which gives it different properties. Therefore my first actual jutsu was an Ice Release technique." Kira stated, "I was forced to learn all release techniques before I developed my own."

"Don't you have to have that kind of chakra in order to learn that release?" Gaara asked.

"Normally, yes, you do. However my chakra is like Kaminari's, which is how I was able to learn her ninjutsu, it can be manipulated to form every release style."

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"_**Let me explain this to them.**_" Kaminari stated and Kira reached out and put a hand on each of their shoulders, "_**I am the Juubi, the Ten-Tailed Demon; you both know this already. The Gobi, the Five-Tailed Demon, can manipulate the Five Elements using his tails, one tail for each. I have Ten-Tails and each one has a different use. Gaara has already experienced the one that controls time and memory. Three of my tails house the main elements and ability to use different release methods. Crystal, Ice, and Water in one; Earth, Wind, and Wood in another; and Fire and Lightning in the last. My chakra is omnipotent; it's so powerful it can control all of the elements and derivatives of that element. As my host, Kira's own chakra, which is just like mine, is strengthened by my chakra. Before Kira I had never met a human whose chakra was like mine. It is also one of the reasons I chose Kira over her brother as my host. Our chakra was the same. If I was to be housed inside someone whose chakra was, for example, opposite of mine they would die.**_"

"Oh." Naruto stated, yawned, then passed out.

Kira stared at him for a moment then a moment at Gaara as he picked Naruto up with his sand and started the walk upstairs.

"He does this a lot when we sit up talking." Gaara stated, "He forgets that I don't sleep."

"He is an interesting person." Kira stated as they walked out of Naruto's room and down the hall.

"I'm surprised that you're still awake." Gaara stated as they walked into their room.

"It's part of the Jinchuuriki thing, Gaara-kun." Kira stated as he closed their door and she undid the obi around her, set it on a hanger as she turned around and let the kimono shirt hang open then slide down her arms, "I don't really need that much sleep once I'm back to 'full strength' so to speak."

"Hm." Gaara stated as he watched Kira hang up the Kimono shirt and sleeves which left her in the black shirt that was underneath, shorts and the arm guards since she took off her boots and tool pack awhile ago.

He watched her walk into the bathroom and shut the door. He sat down in the chair and started thinking as she took a shower. He was starting to come to the conclusion that there was more to Kira than he knew or was shown by Kaminari.

"_**She wasn't going to show you everything while you were in there. It would have taken too long to show you every day of Kira's life and you only had a limited amount of time in her subconscious.**_" Shukaku stated at one point.

"_That is true. What else can Kaminari do that Kira could possibly do?_" Gaara asked.

"_**Everything really. Kira's chakra is an exact match of Kaminari's. That essentially has like a one in a billion chance of happening.**_"

"_Our chakra is essentially the same but I can't do everything you can._"

"_**That's because of the way I was sealed into you. It's a weak seal so it doesn't completely bind us together. Still, the fact that our chakra is essentially the same is an oddity.**_"

"_What do you know about Kaminari?_"

"_**A lot. I'm not telling you what I know since if she wanted you to know, she'd tell you. She is the most powerful of all the bijuu, even more so than the Kyuubi is, who is technically her brother since demon's have strange family trees. She's beaten my ass more than once, more than once she hasn't and I won. That is all you need to know at the moment and that is all I'm going to tell you.**_"

"_I should have figured._" Gaara stated as Kira came out of the bathroom, wrapped in the ice blue kimono robe she always wore when at home lounging, brushing her long purple hair wearing a pensive expression, "Kira-chan, what's wrong?"

"Hm?" Kira asked as she was pulled out of her thoughts and sighed as she stared out the one window in the room, "A strange feeling came over me while I was in the shower, Gaara-kun. All the hairs on my arms are standing up still."

Gaara stared at her confused and got up out of his chair and went over to her as she stood in front of the window staring out at the desert beyond the village. He placed a hand on her shoulder, partially bared since she consistently wore it much like a geisha would, and looked at his mate worriedly.

"I can't explain it, but I feel like something is out there waiting for me…looking for me. Something is going to happen soon. I don't know what it is, but I _know_ something is going to happen." Kira stated absently as she stared out the window, rested her hand on it, and shook her head, "It almost feels like there's a part of me out there looking for me, but that's just crazy."

_Nobody can do everything, but everyone can do something. ~Author Unknown_

**A/N: That's it until the next chapter which will hopefully be out soon. I hope you enjoyed it. R&R! **


	12. Chapter 11: Tranquility

**A/N: OMG I'm so sorry this took so long to get out. I've been super busy lately and had a bit of a writer's block. I promise I'll try to get these out faster. I won't keep you any longer so R&R and as you know I don't own Naruto or any of the Naruto characters but the others and plot are all mine.**

Chapter 11: Tranquility

"Get dressed, Kira-chan." Gaara stated gently pulling her away from the window then handing her clothes.

"Why?" Kira asked as she let him pull her still staring out at the window.

"We're going out to the wall." He said and she went into the closet and got dressed in a soft purple kimono since she didn't want to put on a new set of her ninja gear for just a couple of hours, and she couldn't seem to find any of her other clothes.

A few minutes later they were walking down the street towards the wall. The streets were empty except for the occasional person or two out for a walk. The street lights illuminated the way as they walked past a series of shops closed for the night. They arrived at the wall and climbed the stairs to the top where a ninja was standing guard.

"Kazekage-sama! Kage no Kage-sama! How can I help you?" the man asked as he bowed.

"Keep your post. We're just talking a walk." Gaara stated.

The man nodded realizing nothing was wrong after he noticed that the sand master did not have his gourd and that Kira was not in her gear. After the man returned to his post the two Jinchuuriki walked down the wall a bit until Kira stopped and stared out at the desert.

"It's so strange." Kira stated closing her eyes and Gaara walked behind her and held her close, "I've never felt this before."

A gust of wind blew in from the desert and wrapped around the two lovers. Kira's eyes shot open and she stared out at the desert more intensely.

"I don't know why, but I just feel like part of me is out there in the desert looking for me…or that the desert itself is looking for me." She stated as the wind wrapped around them yet again and Gaara picked her up so he could jump from roof to roof, rock to rock, until he reached his favorite spot to sit.

It was a secluded area just beyond the wall of Suna in the desert that no one but him new about. Nestled in one of the natural rock pillar outcroppings that formed in the desert it had a perfect view of the desert and beyond. Kira's first impression of it was that it looked like a long and wide chair, or rather like one of those things you would see in a psychiatrist's office. Gaara sat down on the large flat surface and rested Kira between his legs as he leaned back against the wall.

"What did you do?" Kira asked as she sat between his legs, "I feel…better."

"I would always come here when I was younger." Gaara stated as he sat up with Kira, "Just to sit and stare out at the desert. It was really the only place where I could feel even a little bit at peace. My favorite time of the day was the night since that was the only time I didn't have people running in fear from me. Suna was mine, and mine alone, at night. Years of sleepless nights were spent here in this spot. This was my favorite place to go at night if I wasn't killing something and drenching the desert in blood. As the years went on and I stopped killing for the pleasure of it I came out here every night just to sit and think about what I wanted to be. I would sit out here every night and think about things. It was also here that I discovered Shukaku was still inside of me after the Akatsuki incident."

"What Akatsuki incident?" Kira asked, turning around so she was facing him, and Gaara told her about the entire thing, including how he died and came back to life.

"_**You died!?**_" Kaminari yelled at Shukaku.

"_**Not exactly…they pulled me out of him and killed him in the process which…put me in a dormant…unmoving or thinking state.**_" Shukaku stated hurriedly.

"_**How could you die?!**_" Kaminari yelled at him and Shukaku pulled their conversation far down into their hosts' subconscious where they could argue without being heard.

"They are strange…I though Shukaku was strange but the two of them together are just bizarre." Gaara stated and Kira nodded contemplating what Gaara just said.

"You sacrificed yourself for the sake of the village." Kira stated.

"I did." Gaara confirmed.

"You died."

"And I was brought back by the very person that sealed Shukaku inside me…and Naruto of course. I am glad they brought me back."

"Me too." Kira stated and stared out at the desert some more.

"It's restless tonight." Gaara stated as he stared out at the sand and rock that stuck out like islands in a sea.

"Why?" Kira asked and Gaara pointed to the East and Kira gasped.

"It's a full moon out tonight." Gaara stated and nuzzled Kira's ear.

"It's beautiful." Kira stated as she stared at it.

"Yes it is." Gaara agreed, "This spot has the best view of it. Whenever the moon was out like this I'd come here…usually after killing something unfortunately since the full moon tends to make Shukaku excited and more bloodthirsty than normal. It made me feel less alone."

"This is the most beautiful view I've ever seen." Kira stated.

"I agree. This view is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Gaara stated as he stared at her stare at the moon with its light illuminating her hair so it almost glowed purple.

She turned her gaze towards him and saw his black lidded viridian eyes gazing out at her. She smiled shyly and he smirked at her as he sat up and pulled her closer

"You are beautiful." He said and she shook her head at him, "Yes you are."

"Liar." Kira stated.

"Lying is pointless." Gaara stated and pulled her even closer, "You are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."

The wind wrapped around the two again as if it were trying to pull them even closer. Gaara felt it too and understood something that he didn't before. He knew what was looking for Kira.

"I want to show you something." Gaara stated and she nodded.

Gaara stood up and pulled Kira up with him so he could pick her up and used his sand to transport them to another spot on the outcropping. He set her down on the very top and they felt the wind wrap around them again.

"Look." Gaara stated and Kira looked out at the expanse of desert before her to see the wind rolling over the dunes and lifting the sand off them in such a way that made it seem as if the wind was dancing with the sand, "I am not making it do that. The desert is happy that you're here, Kira."

"What do you mean it's happy that I'm here?" Kira asked.

"Look at it. It usually looks so lonely and sad…tonight it looks like it's dancing. Believe me…I can tell."

"Are you happy that I'm here?" Kira asked as she looked up at her sand master as she felt the wind wrap around them as it carried the sand and pulled them closer.

"I have never been happier in my life." He said and held her close against him as the wind rushed around them making his coat and the bottom of her kimono flap in the wind, "You really are beautiful."

A few strands of her hair came loose and fluttered in the wind as he said this. He gently tucked them behind her ear and ran his hand thumb over her cheek as he leaned in and kissed her tenderly. She kissed him back, her hands gripping his coat, as they both felt the wind wrap around them yet again. When they pulled apart Kira noticed that a little bit of sand had settled in her hand. Kira stared at it as it rested in her palm.

"Sand is such an enigma. It seems so simple yet is so complex. It's made up of so many small things…glass, crystal, minerals, organic materials, and inorganic materials…so much." She said and watched it rise off of her hand and into her lover's.

"The sand surrounding Suna is mostly minerals and tiny shards of crystal. It always has been and always will be. Anything that dies in the desert is eventually broken down and converted into minerals." Gaara stated and watched Kira draw the crystal part of it back into her hand.

They then returned the sand to the desert and Kira turned her gaze to the young Kazekage. She watched the wind ruffle his red hair and reached up to run her fingers through it.

"Are you happy, Kira-chan?" Gaara asked his eyes closed as he felt her fingers run through his hair.

"Yes. For the first time in years I am happy." She said and sighed contentedly as she snuggled into him.

"Good. Let's go home, it's getting late." Gaara stated and transported them.

When the sands stopped whirling Kira found that she was in the courtyard of a large estate near the edge of the village. Kira looked around, confused and disoriented, before the red haired shinobi reminded her that he was there.

"Kira-chan…"

"Where are we?" Kira asked as he led her towards the door.

"We're home. This is my actual house. It's the ancestral estate of my family." Gaara stated and gestured to the surrounding grounds.

Kira looked around her and saw that it had everything a traditional estate would have. They were currently in the courtyard with a series of buildings connected by walkways surrounding them. In one corner of the courtyard was a small stream that twisted through the property until it reached one wall and disappeared creating a rather relaxing gurgling sound. A few trees dotted the property as well as some flowering bushes and plants.

"That building is essentially my own private one. It is connected to the rest of the buildings through those walkways, but is pretty much secluded. That one is Temari's, that one is the main building where the living room, kitchen, and dining room are, that one is the guest house, and that one…is Kankuro's. As you will see in the morning it is essentially new." Gaara stated, slightly annoyed.

"What happened?" Kira asked as she walked around and Gaara followed her more than willing to let her satisfy her curiosity.

"Well…Kankuro's workshop is also over in his part of the estate. For the past few months before you arrived Kankuro was working on a new puppet…one dealing with explosives…" Gaara started and Kira looked at him.

"Oh…" Kira stated completely understanding what he meant.

"Yes…he left what he was working on unattended for a few minutes to get something to eat. Temari and I were in the kitchen at the time he walked in. The next thing we know a giant explosion went off in the southeast corner of the estate. It totally demolished half of the building and the wall." Gaara stated as he followed her over a bridge to their apartment, "We've been living in our home in town until this was finished being repaired. We're moving in again tomorrow after Naruto and the other's leave."

"So all of my clothes are already here…aren't they?" Kira asked as she sat down on a bench built into the bridge and Gaara nodded as he sat down next to her.

"I was never allowed to spend much time here while my father was alive. Instead he sent me to live with my uncle in the house in town. He was worried that I'd destroy it. After he died and the following events I moved into that building. It's the most peaceful of the buildings since the water flows all around it." the sand master stated and Kira got up and walked over to the edge of the stream and looked into it.

"There are fish in there." Kira stated and pointed at them, "They're blue and white…not gold and white."

"You can see them?" Gaara asked.

"Just as well as you can." Kira stated, "I have extremely good night vision…Kaminari is part feline after all."

"I forget how amazing you are sometimes." Gaara stated as he held her from behind.

"I think I'm going to like it here. I feel so relaxed…" Kira stated and stared out at the water.

Gaara felt a slight change in Kira's chakra and was confused by it until Kaminari spoke up.

"_**Kira's chi is coming back into balance. She's had a long week. What you're feeling is her chakra cleansing itself of the trials of the week. I always told her that meditation was good for her. She never really got to do it often since she never really had any peace or time to do it in. You should try it sometime. You've got a lot of stress that you need to lessen.**_"

"Huh?" Kira asked snapping out of it, "Sorry…I slipped into a meditative state."

"Let's go inside. There's a lot to see inside, too." Gaara said and they went into the main building.

Gaara then proceeded to show Kira around the estate. The living room was much larger than the one in the other house as was the kitchen and dining room. It was decorated with various items such as vases and paintings a little bonsai tree here and there.

"Temari made herself in charge of 'interior decorating' after our father died and we took over the estate. I was afraid she'd go overboard, but she did very well I think."

"She did. It's very peaceful looking, though I know it will not stay that way for very long. You have a TV!?" Kira stated and pointed into the living room.

"Yes?" Gaara stated then remembered there was nothing electronic in the other house, "The other house has very little in it, as you've said yourself, and is just the 'In Case of Emergency' house. We don't have much of anything in it. I don't really pay attention to electronic things. We don't live in the feudal age though."

"I know that. If we did we wouldn't have to remind the ninja to turn their communicator radios to the same signal on missions all the time. I've only seen a TV…once?" Kira stated, "In a Daimyo's mansion no less."

"It was a gift from our Daimyo when I took office. I didn't want it but Kankuro fell in love with it. As punishment for blowing up part of the estate I told him he couldn't bring it…or any of his toys…which is the other reason the other house has nothing electronic in it."

"I doubt he took that well." Kira stated as she stared at the strange thing.

"He didn't until I told him it was either that or I'd assign him to be the sensei of a young group of academy students." Gaara stated and Kira laughed a little.

Gaara then lead her into his building, which was now their building. It was the largest of the main buildings complete with its own small kitchen and living area. Kira was not surprised by this knowing Gaara liked his privacy. The living area was furnished with a few cushioned chairs, a sofa, a few end tables, and a rug. To the right of the door was a large sliding glass door that looked out into a small private garden. Down the hall were a few doors which lead to different rooms, each with its own use. One door lead into what seemed to be a small library. Yet again Kira was not surprised by this since Gaara liked to read at night. There was a door in the living area that lead to a small bathroom that was separate from the master bath. Another door lead to a stair well up to the roof, and another lead outside to the courtyard. The last door lead to the bedroom.

"It's so big." Kira stated as they walked into the spacious bedroom.

The bedroom was much bigger than the one in town yet still seemed very cozy. The bed, a futon, was situated up against the wall but centered in the middle much like the one in town but this one was bigger. A few cushions were scattered throughout the room as was a large chair in one corner near a lamp. The far wall had two doors in it; one lead to the master bathroom, complete with a large spa-like tub and a shower, the other lead to a large walk-in closet that already had all of their clothes hung up in it. The bedroom also had a small room branching off from it in one corner that served as a small office since there was a desk with a table in one corner. Kira smiled as she looked around and felt a few tears well up in her eyes.

"I've never lived in a place like this. I was always confined to my room when I wasn't training or on missions and my room was always so bare." Kira stated as she walked around and looked.

Gaara watched his mate walk around the room for a little while before she disappeared into the closet, returned wearing a pair of pajama shorts and a tank top, and then resume looking around. Soon after he changed into pajama pants and a shirt of his own and decided to turn off the lights in the bedroom since she was in the living room now. He walked out to the living room quietly as she stared out the large sliding glass door. With the lights off the moon light flowed in through the glass illuminating Kira's hair to that point where it seemed to glow purple. The Kazekage walked over to his lover and tilted her chin up so he was looking into her eyes.

In one slow and tender movement he pulled her into him and kissed her. He picked her up and wrapped her legs around his waist as they kissed which caused Kira to deepen the kiss as her fingers tangled into his red hair. She heard and felt her sand master moan into the kiss as his hands gripped her ass and pulled her closer to him. Kira tightened her legs around his waist as he slowly began to move them to the sofa. When they reached it he sat down on it with Kira's legs still wrapped around him. Kira broke the kiss and stared deep into her lover's viridian eyes as he turned to lay her down on the couch.

"_Why do you make me feel like this?_" Kira asked him in her mind as she lay on her back with Gaara just above her leaning into her neck and kissing it.

"_Like what?_" he asked as he slowly and tenderly placed kisses all along her neck to her shoulder.

"_Like I need you to do this…I want you to do this. Kiss me all over…" _she breathed, _and _more_._"

_People are trapped in history, and history is trapped in them. ~James Baldwin, __Notes of a Native Son_

**A/N: Once again I am SOOO sorry for the long wait. I'm hoping to have the next chapter out within the next two weeks at the most. The next one will most likely be a Lemon so you are forewarned.**


	13. Chapter 12: Scars I

**A/N: Sorry it took so long. My laptop is quite literally falling apart (the only thing keeping the screen on is duct tape and the space bar is missing), and I've got a fairly nasty cold. Anyway…here is chapter 12. **

**It is part LEMON so you are warned. The whole thing is NOT a lemon however and I will mark the start of the non lemony things just to be fair. Once again I do not own Naruto (if I did I wouldn't have such a craptastic laptop) or the series but the other characters and plot are all mine. The lemon starts right off the bat.**

**NOTE: I'm in the process of rewriting this so this may change soon.  
**

Chapter 13: Scars I

"_More? What do you mean more?_" he asked grinning against her skin, kissed it once more, then lifted his head and looked at her as she breathed and arched up into his hips as he nipped at her neck and her canines grew.

"_You know exactly what I mean._" She said as he leaned in to kiss her.

As he did his one hand moved down to her breast and his fingers brushed over her nipple making her arch up against him again causing him to groan softly into their kiss.

"_I do. I know what you mean because I want to do it to you. I don't know why I want to, or how I know how to, but I want to Kira-chan._" He said as his hand slid into her shirt and his fingers softly traced circles around her nipple.

"Gaara-kun…" she softly murmured in approval and he kissed her slowly as he pushed his hips into hers making her grind into them.

He repeatedly ran his thumb over her nipple until she broke the kiss and moaned his name breathlessly. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard and he needed to hear it more. He stared down at her and she stared back at him with those big brown eyes and arched her hips into his again making his eyes close as he groaned, his own canines growing. He leaned in and kissed her passionately but slowly. His hands wrapped her legs around him again and he somehow managed to sit up with her again.

Kira moaned feeling the hard length of her sand master pushing against her. She gasped when he stood up forcing her to stand next to him on her tip toes as they kissed. He then scooped her up in bridal style and kissed her again and again.

"_We're taking this to the bedroom…more room to move around._" Gaara stated as he nipped her neck with his canines.

When they reached the bedroom Gaara gently set her down on the bed and stared at her with her shirt bunched up just under her breasts. Kira reached up and pulled him down towards her so he was resting between her legs and kissed him slowly yet passionately.

Gradually their kisses began to deepen and Gaara's tongue found its way to Kira's as his hand found its way to her breast again. Kira moaned as his fingers once again began to run over her breasts then softly whined when he stopped and moved to the side of her. She began to whine again when he broke away from her kisses but it quickly changed to a breathless moan as her sand master took his kisses to her nipples as his hand rested on her stomach.

"G-Gaara…what are you doing?" she breathed as his hand began to inch down then sneak under the waist of her shorts then even further down, "Gaara?"

He looked at her and saw the arousal in her purple laced eyes and her long canines and his own in the reflection of her eyes. She grabbed the back of his head and pulled him in for a fiery passionate kiss as she pulled his shirt off. Gaara broke away long enough for the shirt to be pulled over his head. She pulled him down again for another passion and tongue filled kiss and rolled him so that she was on top of him straddling him she broke away.

"I'm tired of playing, Gaara-kun." She stated and pulled her shirt off.

"Damn, you are so beautiful." Gaara stated as he stared at her half naked form and leaned up on his elbows as she leaned down to kiss him again.

Her fingers tangled in his red hair as she kissed him, their tongues battling for dominance. He let his elbows down and rolled her onto her back kissing her fiercely. His kisses went to her neck and his canines, as long as they could get with his full arousal, scraped against her neck earning a growl from the female Jinchuuriki. Her hands went to his pants and pushed them down as she flipped him onto his back again. He broke away from her neck as she was pushing her shorts off and looked up at her with her hair coming loose. He reached up and freed her hair and watched it fall down around her shoulders then flipped her so she was on her back and her purple hair was spilled over the pillows.

"I'm yours, all yours, and no one else's." Kira whispered as he leaned down for a sweet kiss.

"I know, and I'm yours, all yours, and no one else's." he said in response nuzzling her ear, "Are you ready for this?"

"Yes." She said and pushed up onto his hard length as he pushed down and screamed at the pain making him stop, "Move, Gaara-kun, please."

He did as he was told and moved slowly in and out of her until her gasps of pain turned into moans of pleasure. He could feel her nails digging into his back and moaned as he thrust.

Kira looked up into her sand master's green eyes and moaned in pleasure as she drew him down for a kiss. He kissed her softly then harder as she began to push up into him making him growl and thrust faster. His kisses moved to her right shoulder as his thrusts became faster. Kira felt his canines dig into her skin and growled as she flipped them over and moved against him. When he pulled away he left a large red mark that seemed to be bleeding slightly.

She didn't even notice it; instead she kissed him fiercely then moved her kisses over to his right shoulder and sank her teeth into his skin. His only reaction was a feral growl followed by a deep moan as she moved. He sat them up and pulled her lips to his in an intense passion filled kiss.

"Gaara!" she cried out as she moved against him as he moved back.

"Kira…" the young Kazekage growled in response as they began to reach their climax.

As they moved together they reached their climax in unison. It was so intense that everything seemed to move in slow motion to the two Jinchuuriki lovers. They fell back onto the bed, Kira lying on top of her mate breathing heavy. Once they caught their breath Kira looked up to see her sand master looking down at her lovingly and she moved up, sliding off of him with a small moan from both of them, and laid her head next to his. He rolled to his side and kissed her tenderly and she kissed him back as he drew her into his embrace. They lay like that for a while until Kira drifted off to sleep for a few minutes then woke up.

**A/N: Lemon is now over.**

"Are you ok?" Gaara asked as her eyes opened, then kissed her forehead.

"Never better except for what you did to my shoulder." She said as she sat up wrapping the sheets around her then touched it to feel the dried blood crusting under her fingertips and winced.

"I feel the same way." He said and she saw his shoulder in a very similar state, "Let's go clean up, Ume-chan."

"Ume-chan?" Kira stated as she allowed him to help her up, "Since when was I a plum blossom?"

"Since now." He said and kissed her softly as he led her to the bathroom and turned on the tap in the bath tub.

"I like it." she said after a few seconds of consideration and got up from the side of the tub to help Gaara clean his shoulder and hers.

"Sand…" Gaara stated as he finished cleaning Kira's shoulder and saw the red kanji mark on it then looked at his shoulder at the kanji for crystal.

Kira turned off the tap as she thought about the meaning of it all. Gaara climbed into the bath and helped his plum blossom in so she was leaning against him between his legs in the huge spa tub.

"We are…I am _completely_ yours now." She finally said as she rested her hands on his knees and moved her legs so that only her toes were sticking out, "And your mine in the same way…well officially, at least."

"Correct, although I would like to at least ask Kaminari, but she and Shukaku are strangely silent and deep down in our subconscious I think." Gaara stated.

"Let's enjoy the silence and relax." Kira stated and leaned her head back against his chest and sighed contentedly.

"Let's, it's not often that I get to." He said and Kira moved to the other side of the tub and gestured for him to come sit like she was just seconds before.

Once Gaara was settled between her legs Kira moved her hands to his shoulders and began feeling for knots. Once she found them she began slowly massaging them out with her hands. This earned more than a few sighs from the Kazekage. When she was done he leaned back against her breasts and relaxed as she leaned back and relaxed.

Gaara eventually began looking over the parts of Kira that he could see and much to his own surprise he found quite a few scars on her legs and forearms.

"What are these from?" he eventually asked.

"What?" she asked and he ran a finger over a set of scars on her lower thigh just above her knee, "Oh…well a few of them are from…_him_…some others from my time in the mountain's torture chambers, but that one your finger is on is from when Hikaru, Kokoro, and I ran away one day to go swimming. We escaped our keepers and ran off to a small pond. I accidently cut my knee on a rock in the water. Kokoro was just learning how to be a medical nin so she healed it and left a scar."

"What about the ones on your other leg?" he asked gesturing towards her ankle which was just barely out of the water.

"One is yet again from the mountain, the other is from when Hikaru and I got into a fight. I don't even remember what it was about really but we almost killed each other. He got my ankle in the last seconds and I got his other ankle. The ones around my wrists are from chains after I ran away from my village. It was a very tough period of my life. Now I think I clearly remember telling you to relax, Kazekage-sama." She said and they returned to just resting.

After a while they climbed out and drained the tub. Kira wrapped a towel around herself and put her hair up in a messy bun as Gaara wrapped a towel around himself. He went into the closet and once again came out in PJs. As he walked past Kira to clean up the bedroom he gave her a tender kiss that brought a slight blush to her cheeks. He smirked as she went to put clothes back on.

When she came back out the bedroom was clean again with the dirty clothes and sheets in the hamper in the corner of the room. Gaara himself was not there so she went looking for him.

"Gaara, are you in the kitchen?" she called as she went down the hallway that connected their building and the main building out of pure instinct it felt like.

"Yes, Kira-chan." He called back and Kira found the kitchen again.

Kira walked in to find her mate fishing through the refrigerator which was fully stocked. She quietly padded over to him barely making a sound.

"What do you want to eat, Kira-chan?" he asked making her jump a little bit.

"How did you know I was there?" Kira asked and Gaara smirked.

"I'm not telling." He said smirking some more, "Now what do you want to eat?"

"A glass of juice and something crunchy would be good enough for me." She said and backed up and sat on the counter.

A little while later they were back in their section of the estate on the roof staring at the sun rise. Kira was resting against Gaara as the sun began to peak over the walls. Far off in the distance Kira could hear the sounds of the village as it began to wake up for a new day. The two lovers had cleaned their wounds again and found that they were completely healed except for a raised scar in the shape of the two kanji for sand and crystal. Gaara leaned forward and kissed Kira's shoulder where the scar was then nuzzled her ear.

"Think we should go get dressed and meet up with the others?" Kira asked after the sun was up.

"Probably." He said and they went back downstairs to get some breakfast to find Kankuro sitting at the counter with his arms crossed and a wry smirk on his purple make-up covered face, "Kankuro."

"Gaara." The puppet master stated inclining his head a little, "Enjoy your night?"

"Incredibly." Gaara said as he sat Kira on the counter then brought her a bowl of cereal, "Why?"

"Curious. I mean you two did disappear all night…isn't it normal for a man to worry about his little brother and his girlfriend?" Kankuro asked then his eyes settled on Kira's shoulder.

"It's a Jinchuuriki thing." Kira stated before he could ask.

"I figured. I'm here on more than just pleasure I hope you realize." Kankuro stated and a piece of parchment from a pocket and tossed it to Gaara, "This came for you earlier this morning. Team 7 is itching to get going because of it."

"What is it?" Kira asked once Gaara finished reading it and handed it to her for her to read, "I'm going with the understanding that this is bad?"

**A/N: There you go. I hope you enjoyed it. Yes, this is part one of a series of chapters related to Scars both good and bad. I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up but hopefully it will be soon.**


	14. Chapter 13: Travel

**A/N: Sorry yet again for the ridiculously long wait. I've really got to stop doing that. Lots going on in my life at the moment, but I will try to update faster as long as I don't get a horrible case of the dreaded writer's block. Anyway, here you go Read and Review so I know how I'm doing.**

Chapter 13: Travel

"Bad enough to require the both of us to accompany Naruto and the rest of Team 7 to Konoha I imagine." Gaara stated as he rubbed his eyes.

"It's asking for the Kazekage, I'm guessing they haven't heard about the new Kage no Kage." Kankuro stated, "Otherwise it would be asking for both. The question is who will you leave in charge of the village while you're gone?"

"I'll be leaving Isago in charge of the ANBU training." Kira stated, "Being Baki's assistant I'm sure he'll manage, beside the fact that Baki is the only person on the advisory council I completely trust."

"True." Gaara stated as he grabbed a piece of paper and started writing on it, "I'm sure the council can see things through for the most part, but to counteract any bad ideas of theirs I'll be leaving Baki himself in charge as well as you to help him since you know where the majority of my paper work is."

"I'll do what I can." Kankuro stated as Kira and Gaara both signed the paper and handed it to him, "You two better go get ready, I'll tell the others to meet you at the gate in an hour. I'll also drop this off."

After he left Kira and Gaara dressed and packed a few supplies then set off towards the gate. On their way there they ran into Baki and informed him of the situation and the orders they left. A short while later they were at the gate where Team 7 and Temari were waiting.

"Glad you could join us." Temari stated, "How's the house?"

"Looks like nothing ever happened to Kankuro's part so great." Gaara stated.

"Good."

"Let's get going." Kira stated as she adjusted her kimono top on her right shoulder.

"_**It's going to fall down again, you know, but I suppose you've got the right idea trying to keep the mark out of the sun for a little while.**_" Kaminari stated in Kira's subconscious.

"_There you are. I was starting to get worried. Where have you been?_" Kira asked.

"_**Here, just a little deeper than usual.**_" Kaminari said then paused for a while, "_**You know what you two did last night can never be undone, right?**_"

"_I know. Why do you sound so hesitant? You know how I feel about Gaara. Wait…is this about you and Shukaku? What happened between you two?_"

"_**A lot…Kira now is not the time for a discussion about my love life. You need to get going.**_" Kaminari stated hurriedly and Kira nodded.

"Why? Why did I have to have a perverted raccoon shoved in my head…why?" Gaara complained and started walking away from the city as the rest of their companions stared at him confused, all but Naruto who had a very fox-like grin on his face which grew when he spotted the scar on Kira's shoulder.

Kira just rolled her eyes and started off after her lover; the rest followed suit right after.

Later that night after all but three had gone to sleep Naruto walked over to the two lovers as they sat by the fire. Kira was lounging between Gaara's legs as he sat down. The two gave him a long, silent, cool stare. Kira shifted her weight earning a slight growl from Gaara as she got comfortable.

"Yes, Naruto?" Kira asked.

"Was last night fun?"

"Very." Gaara stated as he leaned against a tree with Kira.

"I'm guessing you know?" Kira asked and Naruto just smiled that fox-like smile of his.

"Of course he does, Kira-chan. He wouldn't be here trying to be sly about it if he didn't." Gaara stated, "Yes, Naruto, she marked me too."

"We all know what it means…" Naruto stated, "You'll be stuck together forever, no other will ever be able to take the place of your mate if something happens. Why did they ask for you Gaara? It's strange."

"I'm guessing it's bad enough to need the Kazekage or something to do with sand." Gaara stated, "Did your letter say anything different from mine?"

"No. Just a summons to get back as fast as possible and to request the Kazekage's presence. Kakashi thinks something else is up, but Sakura swears it is Tsunade's handwriting."

"What of the Uchiha?" Kira asked.

"Nothing, but he knows something." Naruto stated, "I could see it in his eyes…I'm going to sleep. You need me to relieve you for a watch?"

"I don't sleep." Gaara stated.

"And I only sleep like 15 minutes a night 6 days a week and I'm fine. Go to sleep, Naruto, we'll see you in the morning." Kira stated smiling reassuringly.

"See you two in the morning. Wake me up if anything exciting happens."

"We will, Naruto." Gaara stated and Naruto went to lie down.

A few minutes later they could hear his soft snore and knew he was out cold. Kira got up and walked around the campsite a few times making sure none of the traps they set had gone off. Gaara soon got up to join her as he double checked them. At one point Kira walked off into the woods for a little bit causing Gaara to force himself not to follow her. She eventually reappeared sitting on a tree branch above him.

"It's quiet in this forest." She stated leaning back against the tree trunk, "Almost reminds me of the one on the border of the Spirit Country. That one was always so quiet...except for the day after I ran away which was very loud."

"I thought ninja were supposed to be stealthy when tracking people." Gaara stated.

"Yeah…but they scream when they die." Kira stated.

"Very true…they do." Gaara stated as he jumped up to sit on the branch too.

"The trees aren't as tall here either. Of course I could be remembering it differently…I haven't seen the Spirit Country in…two years now." She stated looking up.

"What did you do between then and now?" Gaara asked, "Kaminari showed me up to the day you left."

"I ran mostly. After the general tracking ninja the hunter nin were sent out after me. They are hard to hide from. The last group was a group of clones. I guess they were tired of me killing all of their hunters. They chased me from the Bear Country all the way to Suna. When I saw the walls I was sure I was done for…then I saw all the ninja running at me and I was terrified. I've seen other hidden villages some received me well for a night or two to rest others tried to kill me."

"You ran south from Hoshiyama, right?" Gaara asked.

"Initially, yes, we did…or I did and Kaminari was forced to being in my head and all. After a while I was forced east. I ran until I came to a small fishing village on the coast. I stopped for the night there but had to leave early in the middle of the night. The Reikage had issued a warrant and a reward for my capture or information on me. A few men from town decided they would get that reward."

"You killed them didn't you?" Gaara asked.

"Their families too." Kira stated sadly, "I left the inn with blood dripping from my hands and felt good about it…for a time. I told you once that I was worse than you ever were…that is when it began." Kira stated and jumped down from the tree followed by Gaara, "I was constantly told I was a monster in my village and after I left I was constantly hunted like some animal…so I suppose, in some way, that's what triggered me to become one. I enjoyed it most of the time and hated it the rest. I blamed Kaminari for the blood lust that overcame me when I killed, but part of me knew I enjoyed it."

Gaara nodded, knowing the feeling all too well.

"After the village I ran down the coast line south east for a while. I survived off of fish and eggs for the most part. I eventually came to a river delta too wide for me to cross so I went west along it to find a place to cross. I came upon another village upstream with a bridge. It was the middle of the night and I saw plenty of posters with my face on them so I didn't stop for long…just long enough to steal some food that wasn't fish or egg related and get some fresh water. After that I ran south again until another group of hunter nin found me. I killed them then ran some more. The next year and some odd months was a repeat of that. I'd run south, get set off course by people trying to attack me, kill them, run some more." Kira stated and stretched out by the fire.

"So that's what took you two years to get here." Gaara said as he walked the perimeter.

"For the most part, yes, it is. There was that time that a group of mercenaries found me though that took up about two weeks of my time. They heard about the reward of course and managed to capture me." Kira stated and that made Gaara pause for a second to stare at her, "They ran after me for a week giving me no pause to rest then took me down. They locked me in a basement after that. Once I rested though…one came down to give me my daily ration of bread and water and decided to have a little 'fun' with me. When he got close enough I wrapped the chain around his neck and snapped it. Of course in retrospect I should have had him unlock the chains _before _I killed him. I ended up just pulling on the chains until they pulled out from the wall. Kaminari helped me do that since I couldn't by myself. That's where the scars on my wrist come from."

"What happened to the others?" Gaara asked.

"After I got out of the basement I found them outside the house. I must have been pretty terrifying by the looks on their faces. I used the chains still attached to my wrists to kill each and every one of them…and I would settle for nothing less than tearing their heads off with their own chains. The last one had another set of keys so I managed to free myself after killing him. Then there was more running, killing, stealing, and fleeing." Kira stated and sighed, "That's really the most of it."

"Hn." Gaara said a few hours later and sat down next to his gourd.

"What's on your mind?" Kira asked as she got up and walked around.

"Trying to think of what could possibly be important enough to summon the Kazekage." He stated.

"I don't know." Kira stated, "We'll find out tomorrow though."

Sakura was the first one to wake hours later at dawn. She stretched and yawned as she got up and looked around. Her hair was messy where she slept on it so she ran her fingers through it before she stood up and brushed her self off.

"Morning." Gaara stated as he tossed another log on the fire.

"Where's Kira?" Sakura asked as she yawned and stretched again.

"Getting breakfast." The young Kazekage answered, "She's been gone about two hours or more."

"What's she trying to get?"

"No idea." Gaara said and leaned back against a rock and Sakura looked at him, "What?"

"Your girlfriend gets up and goes off for something and is gone for more than two hours and you're not worried?"

"No." Gaara stated and Sakura stared at him shocked making Gaara sigh, "I can't believe I'm going to actually explain this."

"Explain what?" Sakura asked.

"The Jinchuuriki mark." Kira stated as she walked into the camp with a bunch of fish and eggs.

"Huh?" Sakura stated and Kira walked over to her and pulled her kimono sleeve down so the scar was visible.

"This." Kira stated, "The kanji for Sand is Gaara's Jinchuuriki mark. Jinchuuriki, once they've found the right person, are monogamous and mark their mate. The night before we left Suna, Gaara and I marked each other so essentially we belong to each other and as such we always know where the other is. It forms a bond that goes both ways. That's why he wasn't worried."

"Exactly." Gaara stated and got up to go wake up Naruto, "Well, let's start waking up Naruto."

"I'll start cooking. I can guarantee you I will wake him up faster than you will." Kira stated and started prepping the food.

"We'll see." Gaara stated and began to nudge Naruto who just rolled over complaining.

"Kakashi will be up in about…10 seconds." Sakura stated, "Sasuke! I know you're awake! Get up!"

Sasuke sat up and stared at her then slowly got up and stretched.

"Mmm…fish." Kakashi stated as he sat down by the fire.

"And eggs. Where did we get this?" Temari asked as she sat down.

"I went out and got some from the stream a little ways off." Kira stated as she cooked the food.

"Naruto! Wake up!" Gaara urged and Kira got up with the frying pan, walked over, and fanned some of the delicious smell of fish and eggs towards Naruto who sat straight up, "Predictable."

"Breakfast, great, I'm starving." Naruto stated and Kira gave him some food.

Hours later the gates of Konoha came into view. Gaara and Kira donned their official robes according to protocol and walked towards the gate. The guards at the gate saw them a little ways off and one ran off. When they reached the gate they were greeted by a ninja wearing a bandana with the Konoha forehead protector attached to it. He bowed low to them then stood straight again.

"I'm glad you're back. Tsunade-sama has been asking for you every hour since dawn." The man told Team 7 then turned to Gaara and Temari, "Kazekage-sama, Temari-sama thank you for coming. There is urgent need of you, Kazekage-sama."

That's when he first saw Kira in her official robes. He stared curiously at her then at Gaara.

"Sunagakure has finally filled the position of Kage no Kage I see." A male voice stated.

**A/N: There you go, chapter 13 all up and done. The next one will hopefully be up soon. I'm going to go see the new Alice in Wonderland movie today so I have to go get ready. As usual feel free to message me with any questions or comments.**


	15. Chapter 14: Emergency

**A/N: The next chapter is out before a month has passed! Yay!! It's a bit short but I liked this stopping point. R&R!!**

Chapter 14: Emergency

Kira shifted her eyes over to him and saw a young man with jet black hair pulled up into a spiky ponytail wearing a flack jacket. He had a distinctly laid back expression on his face.

"Perceptive one isn't he?" Kira stated and Gaara nodded.

"A woman too." He stated, "How troublesome. Come, I'm to escort all of you to Tsunade-sama."

As they walked away the guard continued to stare at them and jumped back a little as Kira's eyes glowed purple for a second as she turned her head. They walked down the street following Shikamaru silently for a few minutes. He eventually turned down a side street and beckoned that they follow.

"What is the situation?" Kakashi asked.

"I don't know…but it's big. Rumor is there may be a Summit of the Kages again. Tsunade wants to get a start on a counter measure for whatever it is I'm guessing." Shikamaru stated.

"Hn." Gaara stated and flashed his gaze over to Kira who was staring around cautiously, "Relax, Kira-chan."

"Of all the people I'd expect to fall for a pair of pretty eyes, Gaara…you were the last." Shikamaru stated once he heard the endearment.

"Her eyes aren't the only thing I fell for, Nara." Gaara stated and Kira continued to look around as she forced herself to relax a bit.

"Nara Shikamaru, huh?" Kira asked.

"Yeah…and you are?" Shikamaru asked as they walked.

"Tsukino Kira." She stated as they followed him down the street.

"You're obviously not from Suna…" he started.

"No. I'm from a village a long way away." Kira stated and they turned the corner, now heading in the direction of the Hokage's mansion.

"Which one?" Shikamaru pressed as they walked down the fairly busy street earning a few stares, glances, and double takes.

"If you must know…" Kira started, "I'm from Hoshiyamagakure in the Spirit Country."

"I think I remember hearing something about that once from someone." Shikamaru stated.

"Really?" Kira asked, her interest piqued by his slight acquaintance with her former home, "What would that something be perchance?"

"Worried about your friends getting hurt?" Shikamaru asked with a slight trace of contempt.

Gaara figured that he was going to test Kira's loyalties once he started with the not from Suna bit. Gaara shook his head and looked at his sister whose face was a mask of cool disinterest that only he and Kankuro would see through. She was worried still about Kira's potential volatile nature. Gaara could feel through his bond with Kira, however, that she had remained calm and collected at the question, having most likely figured out what he was doing, but felt a tinge of ire at the mention of worry for her "friends".

"Hardly." Kira spat, "I'd give a good deal just to raze the entire village to the ground after I killed every single thing in it."

"Every thing?" the man asked and Kira's eyes clouded with a luminescent purple rage making Shikamaru stare shocked.

"Every. Last. Thing." She growled and walked on ahead of everyone until Sakura ran ahead to make sure she didn't get lost.

"I wouldn't do that again if I were you." Gaara stated to the startled Nara, "Next time she might get angry."

"Hmph." was all the man stated as he shook his head and followed the two kunoichi then stopped as he saw Kira remove her ceremonial hat and look behind them at Gaara with those brown eyes that Gaara so loved.

This was the first time Shikamaru was able to completely see her face since the hat had pretty much covered all but her eyes. Shikamaru looked at Gaara who only smirked at her and nodded then went to catch up with her.

"Baka." Temari stated to Shikamaru and smiled once everyone was out of earshot, "She is beautiful, so don't try denying it, she's a good match for my brother. Let's get going, Shika."

"This is going to be a drag." He stated with a face that perfectly expressed his annoyance.

A little later they arrived at the Hokage's Mansion and were escorted up to an office. When they entered Kira saw a woman in a green coat with low blond pigtails staring out of the window with her hands behind her back. Another woman, younger with dark hair, was holding a pig standing behind her. When the older woman heard the door close she turned around and stared at Kira interested by her presence.

"Report." She stated then closed her eyes and sighed, "Sorry, Kakashi…old habits are hard to break."

"Kakashi is the Hokage…sort of." Naruto leaned over and whispered to Kira as Kakashi and Tsunade talked briefly.

"Why didn't anyone feel it important enough to tell me?" Kira asked in a whisper.

"It's complicated." Sakura stated in a whisper, "Tsunade-sama was in a coma for some months and a man named Danzo was elected temporary Hokage but, long story short, he was killed before permanently being elected to the office and Kakashi was elected in his place. When Tsunade-sama woke up they agreed to share responsibilities since she was much weakened."

"Oh. Thanks." Kira stated and Tsunade and Kakashi stopped talking.

"You must be the emergency Suna sent for us for." Tsunade stated and sat down behind the desk and looked at Kira.

"I believe I am." Kira stated.

"I see you have raised her to fill your Kage no Kage position, Gaara." Tsunade stated and reached into the desk and pulled out a vial of sake, "It's amazing how fast things change in a few days."

"Hn." Gaara stated and took a seat in a chair with Kira standing behind him.

"Especially you." Tsunade said to Gaara, "I have already heard rumors of your… attachment to your new Kage no Kage and you've only been in the city for an hour."

"Attachment?" Gaara asked and smirked.

"Yes, I'm his lover if that's what you're trying to get to." Kira stated and sat in the chair next to her mate, "I'm sure there are more pressing matters than Gaara and my life behind closed doors so shall we move on?"

"Yes. We have had some…disturbing reports this past week from some of the other villages. It seems that some of the village's children are disappearing…Konoha and Suna have yet to be affected but there is little doubt that it will happen soon. There is a very distinct pattern to the disappearances. They've started in Kumogakure and have made their way south. All of the children are from hidden villages and are reported missing after they fail to come home after leaving the village's walls to go play. No more than 20 children are taken before they move farther south. At the current rate they should have reached Suna…" she stated and shuffled through a stack of papers and stopped shocked, "Yesterday."

"What?!" Gaara asked and stood up, "You should have told us what the emergency was in the first place so we could have issued some kind of curfew."

"Temari, could you please go check that no messages have been sent for us and send a message to Baki to issue a curfew for the village and to explain the situation to the villagers while we are gone?" Kira asked Temari who ran out the door followed by Shikamaru, who was almost knocked over by a male shinobi with long brown hair, pale grey eyes, and traditional looking robes.

"Tsunade-sama!" he said stopping to the side of the two Sand Kage, "Atsuo, Moeka, and Hotaru are gone."

"What?!" Tsunade shouted knocking her sake vial off the table towards Kira who caught it and set it down on the table.

"Issue a curfew for Konoha." She stated to no one then looked at Kakashi, "Now!"

He nodded then disappeared. A few minutes later, after the man introduced himself as Hyuuga Neji and after calming down Tsunade, Gaara and Kira were given all the intelligence available on the abductions. Not much more was known than what Tsunade had already told them. Temari came running in soon after with a scroll for them.

"Tokiwa Hoshimi and Akifumi-sama's twin grandchildren, Isae and Isao, are missing." Temari stated gravely, "They went out to the oasis on the west side of the village early this morning and were gone when Hoshimi's elder sister, Kiyomi, went looking for them. Hoshimi and Kiyomi are the grandchildren of the man who gave you those kunai hair picks, Kira, Tokiwa Gorou. He's the one who sent the message. Kiyomi has left and is trying to track them."

"She hasn't even graduated the academy yet." Gaara stated, "She can't be out there by herself."

"We're going back to Suna." Kira stated standing up and Tsunade looked at her, "I know we just got here, but you have informed us of the situation and the only thing I can think of to remedy it is to protect those that we can and bring back those that have been taken. Temari will be staying here as correspondent. I need to go and intercept Kiyomi as fast as possible before she gets herself killed. There is no way that I will stay here while my home is in a state of fear and panic."

"Take Sakura with you then." Tsunade stated, "She has the medical knowledge needed for this if it comes to that. You have stated yourself, Gaara, that Suna's medical capabilities are in a seriously deteriorated state after the war. I will send a reinforced team of medics and shinobi as soon as possible."

An hour or so later Gaara, Kira, and Sakura were in the forest that marked the boundaries of the Fire and Wind countries running at full speed. For the past half hour or so Kira had felt a presence following them, so had Gaara and Sakura. When their path ahead of them exploded they were already on the ground ready to fight.

"Looks like the little monster has found some new friends." A male voice stated in front of them through the dust.

Kira knew that voice, she knew it very well, and she _hated_ it.

Gaara heard his mate growl menacingly as the dust cleared and through it he saw a tall well-built man about Kakashi's age with short blonde hair sticking up in a way much like the copy-nin's.

"Izokuro…" Kira growled, each word laced with a heavy dose of defiance, "What are you doing so far from the Reikage's bed?"

"Bringing you back to Hoshiyama…dead or alive." The man stated and threw a scroll at her that landed a few feet in front of her and unrolled showing the bounty on her head, "Keiko-sama is lucky."

"Why?" Gaara asked, his sand slowly creeping its way towards the man.

"The little monster does seem to be growing in popularity." The man continued ignoring Gaara, "Two other parties besides Keiko-sama have hired bounty hunters looking for you…one of them is the biggest name in bounty hunting now that Akatsuki is dead." He said.

"Ryohei Yuuji…" Kira stated, "The last time I encountered him he was working for the Reikage."

"Someone offered him more money." Izokuro stated and finally turned his gaze upon Gaara and Sakura, who was pulling her gloves on, "A Leaf kunoichi and…"

He stopped mid-sentence and stared at Gaara mouth open wide. Gaara guessed that this man knew who he was. This was going to be interesting.

"Sabaku no Gaara." Gaara stated as his sand poured out of his gourd freely.

"The Kazekage." The man stated back, smiling.

**A/N: There you go. The next one will hopefully be out soon. Right now I'm tired and need some sleep. **


	16. Chapter 15: Merciless Pt 1

**A/N: Sorry about the wait again. I was having the hardest time getting into a battle scene writing mood. I've mostly been in a mood to write the romantic fluffy chapters…so you'll have more of that coming up shortly. Once again, I do not own the Naruto characters only my own characters and the plot line…if I did that would be sweeeeet. Anywho…R&R! **

**Oh, and it may be a little on the graphic side…we all know our favorite Kazekage can be a little on the violent side…and so can Kira to be honest.**

Chapter 15: Merciless Pt.1

"**_He knows who you are…interesting._**" Shukaku stated as Gaara felt the instinct to protect his mate kick in, in himself as well as Shukaku.

"Gaara-kun…" Kira started as the sand master stepped in front of her and crossed his arms and Izokuro chuckled a bit, his smirk growing.

"So you're fucking the Kazekage…" he said and looked her up and down appreciatively, "Not that I'd blame him for wanting to get a piece of that…I know I wouldn't mind having some as long as you had a seal strapped to you."

"**_Oh he did _**not**_ just say that about your mate…_**" Shukaku stated as Gaara growled and his hands twitched in rage.

"Of course we both know, Kira that I could never do that or else Akujin would kill me for touching his plaything." The man stated.

"**_KILL HIM!!_**" Shukaku roared in a blind fury at what the man just said and for once Gaara agreed with him.

Sand shot out at the man who dodged it last second and flung a series of exploding kunai towards the party. Gaara's sand protected them from the blast and darted back out towards the bounty hunter with a fury that had never been seen before.

As this was happening Kira felt another presence in the woods running towards them and another on the other side of Sakura. She glanced at Gaara as he sent the sand after a dodging Izokuro, who was pulling out another volley of kunai with explosive tags on them, and then at Sakura who looked at her.

"We've got incoming on both sides. Probably Izokuro's help if I'm guessing right. I'll take the one coming at you; you take the one coming at me." Kira stated.

"Got it." Sakura stated and jumped over Kira as a dark haired man appeared out behind a tree with a very long katana and brought her fist crashing down into the ground sending a wave of broken earth at him.

Kira saw the man that used to be coming at Sakura and pulled a hand full of shuriken out of her tool pack and threw them at him as Izokuro dodged another tendril of Gaara's sand. Kira performed a set of hand seals and a trio of clones of her appeared. One went straight at the man coming at her while another jumped at the other man that just jumped out of the bushes. While her third clone jumped into a tree and began performing a complicated series of hand seals she jumped behind Gaara, her back to his, and brought up a wall of crystal to protect them from a series of shuriken thrown at him then sent it towards their source using a series of hand motions much like Gaara's.

"Izokuro has incredible speed so can dodge most attacks easily. He's also mastered Lightning Release and most of Water Release. He tends to use them in conjunction with each other using explosive tagged kunai as a distraction while he prepares his attacks. He is also a very accomplished strategist. Aaaaah!" Kira said then growled as she brought up another wall of chakra and sent it tearing through the earth towards a female ninja wearing a flak jacket filled with various weapon scrolls, "It's starting to get crowded in here."

"Go, I'll take care of him." Gaara stated and undid the zippers on his sleeves as the enemy ninja performed a set of hand seals and thunder clouds began to gather, "That's not going to work."

"Hmph…like hell it won't. Once your sand is wet, I don't think you'll be able to use it…then all I have to do is take you out and collect the little monster." He said and clapped his hands together.

Kira heard Izokuro start his Water and Lightning Release combination technique as she helped Sakura fight back a rather large shinobi but was too preoccupied to worry. This shinobi could absorb the impact of Sakura's punches and return it with equal to greater force.

"He's mine!" Kira yelled jumping over Sakura who vaulted back turning in midair to knock the woman behind Kira down flat to the ground, snapping her neck with a quick twist as the woman reached for a kunai as she tried to get up.

"**_You're going to have to use that jutsu, Kira. Gaara is fine, take care of yourself first._**" Kaminari stated and Kira nodded.

Kira's clone that was in the trees finished the hand seals and jumped behind the large man, clapping her hands together.

"Water Prison-" the clone started to say and disappeared as the man smiled in the ball of water.

"That's it?" he said and began to slowly move his arm to punch out of it and Kira smiled as she drove her katana into the top of the prison

"Crystal Blade Taint: Chakra Spike Combination Jutsu!" Kira finished and twisted her katana as she used a single hand seal activating her katana to send out spikes of black crystal into the water before she pulled them out and sent the water prison ball rolling along the water towards Izokuro who saw it and cursed.

"Shit! She's using Chakra Spike again!" he said jumping away from it and Gaara saw the man inside being ripped open from the inside by black crystal spikes.

He could only assume that the crystal sought out the chakra pathways in a body and crystallized it, forcing the chakra to pierce internal organs.

"**_That's a rather nasty technique…I like it._**" Shukaku stated and Gaara smiled as he saw Izokuro resume his hand seals.

Gaara figured Izokuro was going to try to conduct the electricity through the rain drops. He had dealt with Lightning users before and knew how to ground them…the water would have been a problem a few years ago, weighing his sand down leaving him open to close range attacks. Obviously, his status hasn't been updated in awhile.

"Sand Lightning Rod." Gaara stated with the hand motion as the lightning cracked towards the ground only to be absorbed by the sand lightning rods, leaving only water pooling on the ground and Izokuro jumped into the air.

"I expected that!" Izokuro stated and tossed tagged kunai at him again while running towards him.

Gaara's first instinct was to jump over him, but that would allow him to get to Kira, so he acted upon his next instinct. Pulling out from his pack two kunai he threw them, deflecting the tagged kunai into a tree causing them to explode and sent his sand after the ninja again only to see him disappear in a puff of smoke: a clone. His sand was slowly becoming heavier as he sent it after Izokuro who dodged it easily in its slower state.

"In a little while you shouldn't be able to move that sand as fast…and all intelligence on you states that you're a long range fighter prone to fast, close range attacks." Izokuro stated from somewhere in the trees as the rain poured down, soaking Gaara to the bone.

Next thing he saw was a foot coming at him too fast for his shield to block. This is exactly what Gaara had been training for during the past few years. His hand shot up and blocked Izokuro's kick while his leg round housed the bastard from the left knocking him back into a tree.

"What the fuck?!" Izokuro yelled getting up and wiping the blood from his lip as Gaara unhooked his gourd, being too filled with wet sand and water to be of any use, from his vest while making sure he still had a certain amount of sand on him if it came to that.

"You didn't seriously think that's the only thing I could do did you? You don't stay Kazekage long unless you learn more than one way to defend yourself." Gaara stated and assumed a defensive position, narrowing his black rimmed eyes as Shukaku spoke to him.

"**_Kira's doing fine. Kaminari is keeping her safe so focus on him. Your taijutsu has improved infinitely since that last battle with the Kyuubi kid, and you can take him…just be careful or he gets Kaminari and Kira._**" The demon stated as Gaara watched his enemy stand back up.

Sakura looked over at Gaara and stared for a moment as she heard the gourd drop, confused. She had _never_ seen Gaara willingly fight without the gourd. Rain dripping off of her bangs onto her face she realized that it was too wet for him to use it; his sand was reduced to mud in this weather. Kira dropped down next to her and nodded to her right.

"More?" she asked fixing her gloves.

"More. He came with a lot of reinforcements it's seems. About twenty I think…they're hiding behind the trees…a little afraid." Kira stated, "I can take them all out, but only if I can see them."

"What was that thing you did to that big guy?" Sakura asked getting ready to attack again.

"_That_ is what they're afraid of…it's a developed jutsu of mine: Chakra Spike. It summons a specific kind of crystal from the Spirit World that latches onto chakra and solidifies it. It's a very gruesome way to go, but very effective since it simultaneously ruptures and pierces the internal organs, destroys the chakra pathways, and causes major lacerations. I haven't seen anyone survive from it yet…unfortunately." Kira stated a little sad at the end, "It's one of the most powerful jutsu in my arsenal…but I can't use it if they're running away so it _must_ be used in conjunction with something that can stop them from moving away from it. As such I can only use it on about three at a time…here they come!"

"Right!" Sakura stated and slammed her fist into the stomach of a shinobi that just appeared in front of her.

Gaara blocked another kick from his enemy, forcing the leg down as his knee came up to meet Izokuro's chin knocking him into the air leaving him open for another blow to the chest. The blow knocked him back towards a tree, but he hit a wall of hard crystal first with a crack as Kira appeared in front of Gaara in a low to the ground stance, her katana, red with her enemies blood, poised above her head yet pointed towards her enemy. Their eyes connecting for a split second and she flashed him a wicked smile before she sprung forward towards her target bringing her katana around her body in a slash, spraying the water from the rain as it went. Izokuro stood up and looked at Kira, whose back was towards him as she fought off two of his comrades and charged Gaara tossing a pair of shuriken at him. Gaara managed to knock them out of the way with two more kunai from his pack but was then forced to fight Izokuro head on. Seconds later, the enemy shinobi kicked Gaara back into a tree.

As Gaara stood up slowly, obviously in pain from the initial impact plus the pain from his head coming into contact with the tree, and noticed his opponent pulled out a scroll. As Gaara steadied himself, slightly off balance, lip bleeding and glared at the man then leaped at him. Izokuro only smirked, bit his thumb, and summoned a large, long katana with what looked like seals etched along the length. Gaara's eyes widened in shock as he realized what the sword was for and saw Izokuro flash towards Kira.

Kira was too busy to notice until she killed the two attacking her. That's when she heard Gaara.

"Kira!!" he shouted at her running towards her.

Kira turned to see the seals on the katana and paled realizing what they were. She felt herself freeze and she felt two chakra ropes burn into her wrists. She looked and saw they were from the two dead bodies and felt her stomach knot as she realized something: it was a trap. It was a trap that she walked right into. She knew it worked when she saw that the ropes were lined with the same seal as on the sword: the one that cut off Kaminari from protecting Kira.

"No…" she said softly, feeling herself being pulled onto her hands and knees execution style, and Izokuro smiled evilly as he brought the seal laden blade down over his head.

"**_I'm so sorry, Kira._**"

"NOOOO!!"

"Kira!!"

**A/N: Yes, another cliff hanger…Kishimoto-san has had a very bad influence on me as far as cliff hangers go. I've got the next chapter halfway done. I was originally planning a different ending, but I've decided this is a very good spot. One more thing: Gaara's Fighting Style. Most of the explanation will be covered in the next chapter, but for now I'll say this: Gaara kicks serious ass, it's true, but his ass has been seriously kicked a few times. I would like to think that Gaara would want to improve himself over the course of time, and teach himself how to fight with out the sand…mostly because I don't know what would happen if it got wet but I do imagine it would get very difficult to use properly. And thank you to for all the help this chapter!**


	17. Chapter 16: Merciless Pt 2

**A/N: Here's the next chapter…it's really long, but I haven't given you a long chapter in a while. Pay close attention to this chapter because there is an important lesson to be learned and will be revealed at the end. **

Merciless Pt. 2

"_Kira!!" he shouted at her running towards her._

_Kira turned to see the seals on the katana and paled realizing what they were. She felt herself freeze and she felt two chakra ropes burn into her wrists. She looked and saw they were from the two dead bodies and felt her stomach knot as she realized something. It was a trap that she walked right into and saw that the ropes were lined with the same seal as on the sword: the one that cut off Kaminari from protecting Kira while draining Kira of her chakra._

"_No…" she said softly, feeling herself being pulled onto her hands and knees execution style, and Izokuro smiled evilly as he brought it down over his head._

"**I'm so sorry, Kira**_**.**__"_

"_NOOOO!!"_

"_Kira!!"_

Sakura punched her opponent into a tree as she tried to get over to Kira and shouted as she saw the katana come down towards Kira's neck still running until something made her stop and gasp.

Kira closed her eyes, waiting for the sword to come down, waiting to feel the steel's cold bite into her neck but didn't; she felt something completely different: a very familiar weight being pressed into her back. She looked up to see Gaara's back pressed against her as he struggled with her assailant, blood dripping into the water below him.

Gaara had flickered in front of Kira at the last second, blocking the katana with his Spear of Shukaku, using his Sand Armor to make it. Both of his hands gripped the spear forcing it to stay at just shoulder level as the katana bit into his shoulder. Izokuro looked at the spear as he tried to drive the katana deeper then looked up to see the young Kazekage's face. What he saw was pure and simple rage.

Gaara's teeth were bared, canines inhumanly long, his lip still bleeding slightly as he struggled against the downward force of the katana. In a feral growl Gaara forced the spear up, sending the katana up off of him and kicked his attacker's midsection. The kick drove Izokuro off and away from his lover as well as himself. The Kazekage stood up, shoulder still bleeding, and glared as the man that dared to try and hurt his lover stood up and steadied himself, katana held in both hands. Gaara stood, spear in his hand, as the rain continued to fall. He knew he was hurt, he just didn't care. He was too angry to care.

"How did you move so fast…" Izokuro asked the young Sand Master.

"No one… hurts _my_ Kira-chan…" Gaara stated, grip tightening around the spear as he stared at the man, feeling nothing, not the cold water dripping from his hair to nose, not the wind that started to pick up, not the cut on his lip, not even the deep gash into his shoulder…nothing except a deep instinctual rage at this man that attacked his mate.

"_Your_ Kira?" the man asked adjusting his grip on the katana, and went to attack, but found he couldn't move...or breathe…Gaara's hand was now around his throat the spear's head buried deep into his chest.

"Yes, _mine_. No one else's…not yours," Gaara growled through his teeth tightening his grip around his throat and driving the spear deeper with ever word, "Not Hoshiyama's, not the Reikage's, not Akujin's…_mine_…and _no one _is going to hurt her."

"You're not supposed to be this fast." Izokuro stated and coughed up blood before dying.

"Gaara-sama! Kira!" Sakura shouted as she kicked another shinobi as he tried to run at Kira and Gaara turned, wrenching the spear out of the dead shinobi and threw it at the man attacking Kira, who was still tied down.

It hit the man square between the shoulders and he dropped to his knees before falling down dead. The clouds were beginning to clear, the sun breaking through the gloom drying the ground. Gaara walked over to the dead man as others began to slowly advance and pulled the spear from the body and faced the enemies.

"So…you're afraid of the monster you think Kira is…" he said, eyes closed and hidden by the shadow of his bangs, and chuckled, a slightly crazy smile gracing his lips as he looked at them eyes glowing red for a moment striking fear into the ones in front of him, "Then you should be _very_ afraid of the monster that _I _can be."

Sakura reached Kira, and looked up at Gaara. She knew that look…that cold, emotionless, insane killer look. She had been on the receiving end of that look years ago when Suna and Otogakure invaded Konoha. She was momentarily frozen in shock and fear as she saw his eyes and he looked down at her from the corner of his eyes.

"Sakura…get the seals off of Kira." He said.

"What about them?" she asked gesturing to the opposing shinobi that were left.

"Don't worry about them…that's my job…take care of Kira." He said as the first enemy began to advance.

Gaara's arm shot out towards the gourd and whatever dry sand that was in there came pouring out of it towards Gaara. It reached him before the ninja took three steps and he sent it flying at the ninja trapping him. Gaara gripped his hand shut, crushing the life out of him with a Sand Coffin as the others began their attack.

As Gaara fought, Sakura worked at the seals holding Kira down. Using her Chakra Scalpel she managed to cut the rope. As it faded away, and after Sakura ripped the seals up, Kira lurched forward, falling down flat breathing heavy. She looked up at Sakura and tried to pick herself up but couldn't.

"I can't move…too much chakra drained…" she painted and they heard a blood curdling scream and sickening crunch, "Gaara-kun?"

Sakura nodded and looked up from Kira and quickly picked her up, arm around Kira's waist as Kira's arm was held over Sakura's shoulder, jumping back as a large shinobi managed to get by Gaara and swing another one of those long katana most of them seemed to use down at them. Next thing Kira saw was sand wrap around the man's neck crushing it and he dropped to the ground revealing Gaara standing behind him, Spear of Shukaku still in his one hand with his sand suspended above him forming a shield behind him. His arm was stretched out towards them; hand in a fist, as he looked over his shoulder at the ones behind him.

"_**He looks just like him…**_" Kaminari whispered absently, fighting off the effects of the seals and Kira felt something more worrying.

"Sakura…" Kira said, barely above a whisper, "There are more coming…we have to get out of here…or get help."

"Gaara-sama!!" Sakura yelled.

Gaara looked at in their direction and saw her motioning to him. He understood immediately what she meant and jumped back towards them, picking up a torn piece of the seal and stuffing it in his pouch along the way.

"Sakura, get my gourd, I've got Kira." He said getting Kira on his back so her legs wrapped around his waist with her arms hanging over his shoulders holding onto the spear for him, her head resting limply on the shoulder that wasn't bleeding.

Sakura nodded as they began to run towards the gourd. She knew it had to be heavy if he moved that fast not wearing it, so she channeled chakra into her arms and picked it up as they ran towards the edge of the forest marking the boundary of the two countries. Once they reached it they turned around quickly and saw what could be described as a very small army.

"Hold on Kira-chan." Gaara stated and pulled out a scroll from his pack and bit his thumb sliding it along the scroll as it unraveled tossing it in the air and it summoned one of Naruto's toads which Gaara tossed it a scroll and something else from his pouch and it disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Sakura set Gaara's gourd down pulling out a few kunai and jumped forward tossing them at a short female shinobi before engaging in a full on hand to hand battle with one of the advancing enemy as Gaara sent his sand into the earth trying to make more and silently prayed.

"_Naruto...you better get here fast. This is bad._"

Back in Konoha, Naruto was walking down the street with Tsunade. She had lost a bet with him a while back and he was intent on collecting on it now since he had been too busy to before. He had that big smile of his on his face as she grumbled at him for the umpteenth time.

"Hehehe…you know me Tsunade-baa-chan." He said smiling, "If it involves a free Ichiraku lunch I'll do anything."

"I still can't believe it…they wouldn't do it when I told them to, but you walk in there with that big grin of yours dragging Sasuke behind you and you come out a Jōnin captain…and so does he!" she said as they arrived at Ichiraku's at the same time Hinata, Neji, Lee, and Kiba got back from what they had been doing.

Unfortunately, Naruto had no time to order his ramen as a toad appeared on the counter and spit up a piece of paper and a scroll that Naruto recognized as the one he had given Gaara earlier that day…

"_Gaara," he called out to the Kazekage before he left the building to get Kira._

"_Yes, Naruto?"_

"_Take this." Naruto said and handed him a pair of scrolls which the sand master stared questioningly at, "If you and Kira run into trouble at any time use the green one. It'll summon a toad that will find me. Give it the red scroll and it'll summon me to your location."_

"_Why give this to me?" Gaara asked, mostly just curious._

"_Kira is…_you_ will protect her because she's your mate, Gaara, I understand that…but the Kyuubi and Kira's demon, Kaminari, are siblings...so in a way…" Naruto stated looking down at the scrolls then at Gaara, "That makes Kira my sister. I want to help protect her in anyway possible."_

"_I think she's going to like having you as a brother." Gaara stated placing a hand on his shoulder, "I know I like having you as a friend. Thank you, Naruto."_

"Naruto!" Tsunade said yet again, shaking him a little as he stared at the other thing the toad gave him...a torn piece of a seal, "What happened?"

Naruto crushed the paper in his hands angrily and eyes turning orange, prompting Hinata to tentatively place a hand on his shoulder, which calmed him down. He looked at the Hokage, eyes still a little orange and told her.

"The ramen has to wait; Gaara and Kira are in trouble." He said and the toad nodded.

"There are strange shinobi. They seem to want the girl called Kira." The toad reported, "She's down, the Kazekage is wounded but still fighting. So is Sakura. They're drastically outnumbered. It's like they sent a small army for the girl."

"Go! You go with him!" Tsunade stated to the group that was there and they nodded.

They all jumped to the roofs heading their separate ways. Naruto stopped by his place and picked up his tool pack, forehead protector, and his sage robe, having finally gotten it patched up again. He threw it all on and ran towards the gate.

"_Hang on Nee-chan…Gaara…I'm coming._" He thought as he saw the others join him running towards the gate and he unrolled the scroll, biting his thumb and running it along it, "Stand together, I've only got one shot at this!"

He threw the scroll so it would wrap around them as Tsunade watched.

"_He's ready for it._" she thought and smiled a little as they disappeared.

Back in the desert, Gaara still had Kira on his back using his sand to fight and protect her at the same time. He could only hope that help would come soon.

"Gaara-kun…set me down…" Kira said wearily, "You can't fight like this…let me down."

He was forced to realize she was right and set her down in front of him so he could keep and eye on her. Kira forced herself to her knees, finding that was as far as she could go and looked up to see Gaara's cold emotionless eyes turn warm and loving just for her before he turned around and threw the spear at a tall skinny shinobi that was running at Sakura's back. Sakura grabbed it after it met its mark and brought it down over her head at the masked hunter nin she was fighting.

"_She's getting desperate…sending this many. A force half this size could take me down…and nearly did._" Kira thought as Gaara's sand shielded her again.

Kira heard a familiar sound and looked up to see Naruto with everybody else he brought.

"About damn time!" Gaara yelled at the sound of Naruto's arrival as he used a hand seal to bury a number of the enemy deep in the ground.

The enemy stopped advancing when it saw the group of Konoha ninja appear, slightly confused.

"Naruto…" Kira said softly and he looked down at her.

"Are you ok, Nee-chan?" he asked kneeling down by her and she smiled up at him tired.

"Nee-chan? I like that…" she said, "I'm ok, Naruto-nii-chan…the seal has just drained my chakra…I just need to rest a bit. Go help Gaara-kun."

"Right. Hinata." he called and she stood next to him as he stood up looking out at the enemy, "Help protect, Kira-chan."

"Y-yes, Naruto-kun." She stuttered a bit and he looked at her and smiled at her warmly, a deep reassuring care in his eyes that Kira did not let go unnoticed.

"I know you can do it, Hinata. Protect my sister." He said and walked up to Gaara, "Where is your gourd?"

"Over there…still filled with a good amount of water," The sand master said standing up straight and crossing his arms over his chest, ignoring the pain in his shoulder, "I am unable to use it.

"Then give us what we want." A rather brave kunoichi from the opposing force stated pulling out a scroll, "We have no fight with you, only her…the Reikage is offering a truce with anyone willing to help take her back. You could benefit from the alliance…we are a very powerful village. All we want is the little monster."

"Why do you want her so badly?" Neji asked.

"She's ours…she belongs to the village." She said and Gaara's eyes darkened and he growled at her but she ignored it, "It's a good deal…peace and an alliance for the price of one little piece of Jinchuuriki garbage."

"You'll kill her if we let you have her." Kiba stated, "Seeing as she's defected from wherever you're from you'd kill her as soon as you could…looks like you've already tried."

"Naturally…she's too dangerous to leave alive…she's a danger to the entire village. She has been since she could walk." A man stated from next to the woman, "She's a walking time bomb…who knows when she'll go off again and kill everything in her path…men, women, or children…she'll kill it. Give her back to us and we don't have to fight. We only came to claim what is ours. Give her to us…and we give you this treaty and safety."

"No." Hinata stated looking at Naruto, then at the man activating her Byakugan.

"What does the life of one unwanted Jinchuuriki mean to you?" she asked Hinata not noticing everyone else getting into a fighting stance, her words angering them.

"Everything." She said looking at Naruto who was smiling back at her, remembering her words and actions from years before.

"_That's my Hina-chan…_" he thought before turning his gaze the others who nodded, "Here are our terms…surrender…and leave with your lives."

"You're outnumbered 10 to 1!! Take her!" the woman ordered laughed as she jumped into the air looked at Naruto and something triggered in her mind, "Wait a minute…those whisker marks…"

Naruto smiled a slightly evil and dark smile as he knew what she was slowly realizing. She looked at Gaara, who was holding the spear again after reforming it from harder materials, and saw him staring back at her with cold emotionless eyes rimmed in black as a breeze caught his hair and his sand moved at her. She looked back at Naruto then at Gaara trying to figure it out when it hit her.

"You're both…" she said as she felt the sand pull her back to the ground too late to do anything.

"Jinchuuriki." Gaara stated and closed his hand crushing her with his sand.

"We're still going to take her…no matter how many you kill we are going to take the little bitch back to Hoshiyamagakure. We still out number you…regardless of your reputations!" The man said jumping to avoid Gaara's sand and Naruto's Fuma Shuriken.

That's when the shuriken turned into a Naruto clone and it kicked him into the ground. Another clone proceeded to kick him back up again initiating his combo attack. Kira looked up and saw the battle begin…saw people she didn't know fight to save her life as those trying to take it ran at her meeting the dark haired young woman Naruto called Hinata.

Naruto punched one of his attackers and saw Hinata fighting with another and jumped to where Neji was, helping him with the group surrounding him.

"Go protect Hinata…" Naruto stated to him, "If _anything_ happens to her…"

"I know, Naruto." Neji said, inwardly tired of being a strange breed of a middle man between the two, and jumped up, using his Gentle Fist style to block the chakra points of the woman attacking Lee, "Lee, Hinata-sama needs help."

"Right." Lee stated and looked over to where Kira was and ran at two masked shinobi that were preparing some kind of seal only to see one be crushed by two walls of sand.

Lee jumped over it and saw Gaara kneeling on the ground his fists together as the spear lay at his feet. Lee was surprised to see the Kazekage without a gourd, although he was fully aware of why…

"_How's your arm?" Gaara asked, referring to the injury he caused during the Chunin Exams, as he always did when seeing Lee._

"_Better than ever!" the always exuberant Lee stated giving him that super nice guy pose he was famous for, "Tsunade-sama said you requested my presence. How may I be of assistance, Gaara-sama?"_

_Gaara had forbidden him to call him Kazekage-sama since it drove him nuts, so he opted for the next best thing. He couldn't bring himself to just call him Gaara._

"_I want you to teach me taijutsu." Gaara stated immediately, "I need to improve myself in that. If anything ever happens to the sand, or in your case, my opponent is just too fast…I'm left vulnerable. I don't expect to master it to your level…I can't do what you do, you're insane, but I do want master it so I can fight using it."_

_Lee spent the next few weeks in Suna training Gaara every day. Lee was surprised to find that Gaara was in fact, very fast. He was no where near as fast as Lee, but he was fast._

"_How else do you think I could switch with a sand double of me in the middle of one of your Front Lotuses unless I was fast enough?" Gaara stated after practice one day, "The sand is so heavy it normally prevents me from using that speed…so when I don't have it weighing me down I'm much faster but left open to other attacks."_

"_I guess that's true, Gaara-sama." Lee stated._

_After the initial month of straight out training Gaara would send for him occasionally, telling him to tell no one, especially Naruto. Lee was surprised again one day a few months ago when Gaara walked in with the Spear of Shukaku on his shoulders._

"_The Ultimate Attack…I've been getting the distinct feeling lately that I should be able to use this more efficiently." Was all Gaara said and began training with that._

The end result of all the training was the Gaara that stood there fighting for Kira now. Gaara picked up the spear, driving it through the other shinobi that was holding the seals then kicking him off of it into a hunter nin. Lee intercepted the woman that was running at Kira's back as the said Jinchuuriki was fighting to stand up.

"_I need to get up…_" she thought, fighting for the strength to.

Neji jumped over her, meeting a short female shinobi fist to fist as Gaara jumped to her other side, crushing a hunter nin in sand while blocking a katana from coming down on Kira with the shaft of the spear.

"_That was too close…_" he started to think and looked down at Kira before turning to kill the one holding the katana as Naruto was knocked down into a rock, "_This needs to end soon…_"

"_Kaminari…_"

"_**Yes, Kira?**_"

"_I need…to help Gaara-kun...I need…_"

Kira struggled to stand as Gaara went to protect her but was knocked back a little by the force of a large cleaver like sword came into contact with his sand shield. Hinata looked over after taking down her opponent and rushed to Kira's side as Neji used the Eight Trigrams Empty Palm attack to knock someone down that was rushing her side. Kira looked up at her and smiled defiantly, an icy violet glow creeping into her dark brown eyes as she stood up, Hinata steadying her when she wobbled a bit.

Naruto looked up after being knocked into the rock and saw the man above raise a katana over his head and bring it down. He stopped mid swing as blood poured down from his chest, one of Kira's thin hair pick kunais in his arm after slicing past his neck. Naruto looked at Kira and saw her eyes glowing purple, black feathers starting to push past her hair and she smiled, revealing a large set of canines. He realized what was happening immediately: this was the first stage of her Jinchuuriki transformation. He ran over to her side as a group of the remaining enemy converged on her throwing a punch at one knocking him back, eyes changing to orange as he saw one with a seal carved katana run at her and Hinata, seemingly prepared to cut both down in one slice. The blonde shinobi drove his knee into the woman sending her flying back into a cloud of sand screaming as it she was devoured by it. Kira jumped up as Neji and Hinata did, dodging another attack as this was happening, and somersaulted mid-air to land next to Gaara. They stood back to back, using the bond they had as Jinchuuriki mates to formulate a plan.

"_It's going to be the last one then._" Gaara stated.

Kira pulled out her katana as Gaara went to one knee sending a wave of sand at the ones coming at him from the front as Naruto dropped by Kira's side turning around to see Hinata hitting the shinobi that tried to attack him in the stomach, killing him. Naruto could only smile at his protector before looking at Kira.

"Nii-chan…" she said and flipped over Gaara, driving her katana into his assailant and growled, "I've had enough of this."

Kiba and Akamaru soon jumped out from behind a rock taking down one of the last of the hunter nin as Lee overwhelmed another, sending it into the rock Kiba and Akamaru just appeared from.

"It's gonna have to be now!" Kira shouted as the last group charged and he nodded telling her he was ready and she performed a short set of hand seals as the desert shifted under the feet of those attacking.

Kira threw her katana at the one in front, knocking him back into the sinking sand, as Gaara slammed both hands into the ground, crushing everything in it.

"Demonic Crystal Technique: Chakra Field Spike_._" She said, and used one last hand seal which activated the jutsu she started with the katana and spikes of red tinged black crystal began thrusting up through the sand.

No one moved for a few moments, listening and waiting for any signs of survivors. Gaara dropped down to sit on the sand, catching Kira in his lap as she did too. She looked up at him with her big brown eyes and snuggled into him.

"I need a nap." She stated sleepily.

"So do I…" Gaara said letting himself fall back so he was laying on the ground with Kira looking over him, closing his eyes, "I'm tired."

"You're adorable." Kira stated and his eyes shot open looking at her, blushing a deep pink causing Naruto to start laughing when he saw it, everyone else joining in soon after, even Gaara.

Miles away two figures crossed the desert hidden from the sun's rays by black cloaks and wide brimmed hats. They walked in silence, only the sounds of their footsteps to keep them company in the vast expanse of desert until a shuffling was heard behind a small pile of rocks. They stopped, brown eyes glancing at the other's strange eyes that seemed to shift from pink to purple to brown, then at the direction of the sound to see a snake slither past and they continued walking.

"Do you think that fucking idiot has found her yet?" one, a man according to the form the cloak took in the wind, asked his partner suddenly.

"Probably, and she probably killed him." The other, apparently a woman, answered, "You should have known others would be looking for her. She is the host of the Juubi. Which is why we have to get her first, if my informant provides us with accurate information we should get to her before the bounty hunter that idiot hired."

"Why are we even tolerating these people? Why not just kill them?"

"Because it would only make this whole thing more difficult. We're supposed to be dead remember?" the woman stated then laughed, "It's almost funny actually."

"What?"

"They all think we're dead and out of commission when in fact we've been hunting down the others, tracking their worst nightmare the Juubi, and planning something that will rock the world to its core. It's almost fun being 'dead'…nobody expects you to come back."

"The coming back part was a bitch though." The man stated.

"No kidding, I'm the one that had to dig you up in the middle of the night."

"Good thing you did too. I was starting to get hungry." He stated, "I must admit that if you hadn't perfected that poison the day before we probably would have been caught."

"True. Years of work resulted in my most lethal poison, with only one antidote, one that can't be created in a lab by some medic nin tart." The other stated, "I'm sure of it this time."

"You better be. The reason you got into that whole mess was because the little bitch found an antidote."

"I've learned my lesson and have had to suffer much for it. Remember?" the woman stated pointing to her head.

"Yeah, I remember. You were lucky that they missed your heart or we'd both be dead."

"Come on, let's get going. I don't want them to get their too long before us. You know how I hate to keep others waiting." she said and they resumed walking.

**A/N: This was a long one to get out…I'm super tired right now so I don't have much to say other than: *suspicious stare* who are those two people walking in the desert? What was Kaminari talking about when she said Gaara looked just like someone? What is going to happen next?! Oh and the important lesson: Don't touch Gaara's woman…he'll kill you dead.**


	18. Chapter 17: Exhaustion

**A/N: Ok, this chapter can almost be counted as filler, but as with my other fillers, it does maintain a subtle hint of importance to it…just enough so that if you don't read this chapter you won't have any idea how something happened later.****The usual: Don't own Naruto, it would totally rock if I did. R&R.**

Chapter 17: Exhaustion

"Gaara!" Kankuro, followed by Baki, yelled running out to meet his brother seeing him and Kira, not to mention everyone else, bruised and dusty from battle, "What the hell happened?!"

"Baki, I'm calling an emergency meeting of the advisory council." Gaara said, carrying Kira in his arms, "Put the village on alert and double the guard."

Baki nodded a questioning look in his eye and a frown set deep in his face.

"We had a little run in with my old village." Kira stated to him, and looked at Naruto and the others before speaking to Kankuro, "Take them back to the house and get them settled. Go rest. Sakura, Hinata, if you need something to change into for a bit, borrow some of my clothes. We'll be back after that."

"I'm going with you, Nee-chan." Naruto stated and she shook her head.

"No, Nii-chan. Go back to the house and rest." Kira stated and put a hand on his shoulder, "_Go make sure Hinata-chan rests…and…thank her for me._"

Naruto nodded and turned to leave but looked back.

"Kira-nee-chan?" he asked looking troubled.

"Yes, Naruto-nii-chan?" she asked.

"Are you sure you're fine?" he asked again, concern filling his clear blue eyes.

"Yes, Nii-chan." She lied, smiling at him, "Go rest, and if we're not back by dinner order out or something."

As Naruto nodded and walked away, Gaara knew she was lying when she said she was fine. She was exhausted and a bit sore, but still stubborn so he didn't say anything…this time. As they walked towards the Kazekage's tower, Baki had one of his subordinates run and fetch the council before questioning them. Gaara spaced out a bit, tired as he was, and started thinking. Why were there so many? It was a small army that was sent…more than enough to take Kira.

"Kazekage-sama?" Baki asked again.

"Hm?" Gaara asked, "I'm fine. This needs to be done now."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama."

Four hours later they found themselves still in the meeting with the council. They were worried obviously, but surprisingly they were concerned about the effect it had on Kira.

"Kage no Kage-sama, will the seals have any…lasting effects on you?" one asked.

"No, they never have before. I'm just going to need a little bit to rest. The only reason I'm awake now is because of the amount of chakra I borrowed from Kaminari earlier."

"_**That and sheer willpower.**_" Kaminari stated, "_**Stubborn…just like your father.**_"

"_**And you.**_" Shukaku chuckled, "_**You never knew when to quit…anytime I actually got you to give in to something was a huge victory in itself.**_"

"_**Shut up…Shukaku.**_" She stated in a way that picked at Kira's mind, Gaara's too.

"We can continue this tomorrow…" Baki offered.

"No. We started this today and will finish it today." Kira stated and shifted in her chair, "Now, we need to find a way to find the missing children. Akifumi-sama must be sick with worry…and so must Tokiwa-san."

"There have been more disappearances…" One said quietly.

"What!?" Gaara and Kira asked at the same time.

"Two Academy students disappeared early this morning…and yesterday two children did as well." He answered.

"We cannot allow this to continue. The village will have to go on a lock-down." Gaara stated, "No one leaves, no one enters until this is fixed."

"The villagers will not like that…" another stated.

"Do they like having their children abducted?" Kira asked then answered herself, "No, they don't. They may not like it, but they should realize that it is necessary. Has any information turned up? Any word on Tokiwa Kiyomi?"

"No, not yet. We have a team of shinobi trying to track her down. The only information we've gained so far is that it happens fast, and this," another said handing them a jar of orange looking dirt, "Is always found in the area."

"Dirt?" Kira asked looking at it and handed it to Gaara.

"Hmm…this isn't dirt…it's orange sand…from the southern coast I think. It doesn't belong in the middle of the desert." Gaara said shaking the jar a bit, "Send out a squad of ANBU for reconnaissance."

"Squad 12 is best equipped for that at the moment. The others I haven't finished with yet." Kira said leaning back in the chair, "Give them the direct orders to only gather information. Don't make any moves unless it is under dire circumstances. We don't know who is taking the children, why, or how many there…are…"

She yawned at the last few words.

"Excuse me." She said and shook it off before hearing her stomach growl.

"I think that concludes the meeting for the day." Gaara stated getting up, "Send out the squad first thing in the morning. I'm going to need a day or two to rest myself so neither of us may be here in the morning. If that is the case, send someone with the paperwork to my house. We've relocated back to the family estate…provided Kankuro doesn't blow it up again…so we'll be there."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama, Kage no Kage-sama." They said standing up and bowing, Kira inclining her head, too tired to stand.

After the council left Gaara kneeled down in front of Kira and looked up at her.

"Yes, Gaara-kun?" she asked and ran her fingers through his hair as she ran her thumb over the kanji on his forehead, his eyes closing contentedly before opening them half way.

"Are you ready to go home, Ume-chan?" Gaara asked and she nodded sliding her hand down to his cheek before he took it and kissed it.

He picked her up and walked her out of the building. He was too low on chakra to just use his sand to take them to their house, so he walked down the street, sun setting slowly, passing by everyone. Neither of them really saw the people, just the street ahead. Everything was quiet, even though the street was still bustling; it was silent to them until Gaara's ears picked up on the sound of little feet running. He turned slightly towards it and Kira saw a little girl, no older than four in bright red pants and a yellow shirt, run up to them and tug on Gaara's coat. He looked down at her as she looked up at them, holding a sand colored bear with the Suna symbol on it in her hand which was hidden by the sleeve of the little shirt. She stood there and looked up at them with big innocent brown eyes, her black hair falling off of her cheeks as she tugged on Gaara's coat again, making sure she had his attention.

"Is Kiwa-sama okay?" She asked and Kira smiled at her.

"_Put me down Gaara-kun._" She said and he did, helping Kira kneel down to the girl's level as people gathered, "I'm ok, sweetie. I'm just very tired. What's your name?"

"Reina, but why was my mommy talking to Papa about people attacking you and Gaawa-sama?" she asked determined to get a better answer.

"Because we were." Kira said slowly trying to figure out how to handle this little girl.

"Why?" she asked, bright brown eyes searching Kira's much darker ones.

"Because, there are very bad people that want to hurt me, Reina-chan." Kira stated and the girl got worried and wasn't satisfied with the answer.

"But…but why?" she asked again and Kira paused, struggling for an answer for the child.

"Because…" Kira started then sighed and sat down on the ground in front of the little one, "Because Reina-chan, Kira-sama is a Jinchuuriki."

"Like Gaawa-sama." She said pleased with her knowledge.

"Yes, like Gaara-sama…but do you know what that is?" Kira asked and the girl shook her head as everyone in the street stopped just to listen to their Kage no Kage explain to a little girl what she was.

"A Jinchuuriki is a person that had a very powerful being, what some people call a demon, put inside them when they were little. It's done for different reasons, not all bad, but it usually ends in someone or something wanting to…use them and make them do bad things." Kira stated and the girl shook her head in disbelief.

"Nah-uh! Kiwa-sama and Gaawa-sama would _never_ do bad things…no matter what anybody says." She said, her bright little eyes shining with tears and Gaara kneeled down next to her.

"We have." He said looking her in the eyes, "Gaara-sama did bad things when he was younger. He killed a lot of people for no reason."

"So have I. I've done things I'm ashamed of and it hurts to think about them." Kira stated and the child looked at them questions and a little fear flooding her eyes, "But we would _never_ _**ever**_ hurt you or anybody else in the village, sweetie. We would die for you and the whole village if it meant keeping you and those big bright eyes safe."

"But I don't want you to…" she said sniffing and hugged Kira, "You have to bring back Hoshimi-chan, and Kiyomi-chan, and Masu-chan, and…and…"

"Shh…we will, Reina-chan. We will." Kira said pulling the girl to her, comforting her, then looked at her, her own eyes pooling with water, "I promise, ok?"

She nodded as her mother came up and tried to pick her up but she refused and hugged Gaara hard, burying her face in his coat, who stiffened before forcing himself to relax as the mother stared, a little afraid of what he would do.

"Gaawa-sama will be ok too, wight? He'll keep Kiwa-sama safe, wight? _Wight_?" she asked, voice, although muffled by his coat, squeaking with fear until he gently pulled her away and looked at her.

"Yes, Gaara-sama will be ok." He said and picked her up, "And he'll protect Kira-sama with his life."

"But-"

"He'll bring back all the others, too." Gaara stated, knowing exactly what she was going to say, "He promises. Now I think it's time you went with your mother before she passes out from thinking I'm going to hurt you."

"Gaawa-sama would never hurt me, Okaa-san!" she said glaring at her mother, who was looking down a bit ashamed of herself, "He and Kiwa-sama pwomised me!"

"Yes, he did." Kira stated, "Now, Reina-chan, you have to go with your mother to eat your dinner! I bet it's very yummy. You have to eat all of it if you want to grow up to be strong like Gaara-sama."

"Ok, Kiwa-sama!" she said and reached for her mommy then looked at Kira, "If I eat all of my vegitabews…and get strong like Kiwa-sama…can I have Gaawa-sama? He's nice."

Kira laughed at the little girl and then again at Gaara's expression as he went to help his lover up.

"I don't think so, Reina-chan, Gaara-sama is mine…and I'm not very good at sharing." Kira said laughing a bit.

"Then what about Nawuto-sama?" she asked blushing a little, "I like him too!!"

"What makes you ask _me_?" Kira asked confused.

"Because Nawuto-sama is worwied about you…I heard him talking to the dark haiwed lady wif the pwetty eyes." She said, "Can I have him?"

"Well, I'll tell you what…come closer it's a secret." She said and the little girl came closer, "If you eat all your vegetables and get _really_ strong, I'll let you take Gaara-sama and Naruto to school with you one day so all the other girls will be jealous of you, okay?"

"Okay!" she said and her mother laughed a little before bowing to the two Jinchuuriki and leaving.

"_**She's pure innocence…**_" Kaminari stated with a maternal tone Kira rarely heard as they watched her skip down the road holding her mothers hand, "_**A little light shining pure innocence…even what chakra she has is bright…brighter than Naruto's.**_"

"_Gaara-kun, help me up. I'm walking home with you._" Kira said as she held his hand, smile vanishing as the little girl turned the corner.

"_Are you sure?_" he asked looking at her.

"_Yes, I will not allow the villagers to see me like this right now. They're scared and worried…which means so are the children who are too young to understand. They need us to be strong for them right now._" She said and he nodded, helping her up, "_At least until we're out of this section of town._"

By the time they got home, Naruto was waiting for them at the gate. Gaara was only a little surprised; after all…Naruto was Kira's brother now. He stood there, hands in the pockets of his orange pants, slight breeze ruffling his blond hair and the hem of his black t-shirt.

"The village is in lock down?" he asked looking at Gaara.

"Yes…we had to. Too many kids are missing." Gaara stated wearily.

"Want me to carry Kira inside?" he asked and Kira shook her head a bit tired.

"No…I want to stay with Gaawa…I mean Gaara." She said waking herself up a bit and Naruto choked on a laugh, the serious attitude lost by one word.

"Gaawa?" he asked before bursting out laughing which made Gaara glare at him.

"Yeah…we ran into a little girl that was worried about me. She doesn't seem to be able to say r's very well so she says Gaawa-sama and Kiwa-sama." Kira stated and Naruto laughed, falling down on the ground, "I think she has a crush on him…and you."

"Huh?" he said immediately stopping the laughing and looking up at them confused.

"That's right…'Nawuto-sama'." Gaara said and walked inside with Kira laughing and Naruto blushing a bit then stopping.

"Why'd she call me Naruto-sama?"

"I don't know." Gaara stated.

"I think she just thinks Nawuto-sama is really cute looking." Kira teased and Naruto looked at her not amused, "She told me that Nawuto-sama and 'the dark haiwed lady wif the pwetty eyes' were walking around town."

Naruto smiled and scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously. Kira smiled at him and raised her eyebrow questioningly.

"Well…we went to get some ramen. No big deal." He said standing up.

"Right. That offer to carry me still open?" Kira asked, "Gaara's a little tired."

"Hn."

"Yeah." Naruto stated and helped Kira into the main house, setting her down on the couch in the living area were everyone else was, Gaara walked in slowly and sat next to her.

"You alright?" Kankuro asked of his little brother.

"I need to sleep." Gaara stated Kankuro's eyes widening in shock.

"First I think we need to eat." Kira said trying to get up but Kankuro pushed her back down.

"I'll cook…you're in no condition to be doing housework, woman." He said and went into the kitchen to fix something.

"Where's Lee, Kiba, and Neji?" Kira asked Hinata, "And Sakura?"

"Neji-san is out training with Lee-kun." She stated, "K-Kiba-kun and N-Naruto-kun had a fight so h-he's out somewhere…S-Sakura-chan is sleeping."

"Nii-chan got into a fight?" Kira asked of her new found brother.

"Don't ask." Naruto stated sitting next to Hinata who blushed and Kira smiled while leaning against Gaara, who was falling asleep then jerking himself awake every few seconds until he fell asleep for a little longer.

"He's not going to like this…" Naruto stated and slapped Gaara who jerked awake, anger flashing in his eyes.

"What the…" he started before realizing he had Kira snuggled against him, "Thanks."

"No problem." Naruto stated sitting back while stretching and slyly draping his arm over the couch behind Hinata, wearing a baggy pair of black pajama pants Kira had and a light purple t-shirt, who blushed some more.

Gaara looked over as Kankuro came in and handed Kira and him a bowl of ramen. Kira stared at the chopsticks for a few seconds before picking them up and eating the ramen slowly.

"What happened at the meeting?" Kankuro asked.

"I told them I wanted every last piece of information on Hoshiyamagakure made available to me by the time I return to the office." Gaara said.

"We had to tell them what happened obviously." Kira said after another mouthful of ramen, "Odd thing was they seemed worried about me."

"Most likely they realize that now that you're an established public figure for the village it would look bad if anything happened to you." Kankuro stated, Kira noticing finally that he wasn't wearing the usual make up as he leaned over, elbows on his knees, while sitting in the chair.

"Probably…" Kira stated eating more ramen while she thought and spoke again, "We had to put the village in a lock down of sorts because of the missing kids."

"I heard." Kankuro stated then began again after a period of silence, "I don't like the idea of being locked inside the village, but it's necessary. Gaara!"

"Huh?" Gaara stated rubbing his eyes much like a small child would.

"Go to bed." Kankuro stated much to his own discomfort, Gaara didn't sleep for a reason, and Kankuro knew it, "Just…you know."

"I'll make sure." Gaara stated and stood up slowly, "Naruto…could you get Kira-chan? I'm too tired."

"Yeah." Naruto stated and helped Kira up arm over his shoulder as they walked to their section of the house.

He got them to the door of their bedroom and bid them good night before leaving. Gaara and Kira stepped in. Gaara made his way to the bed, ready to just fall into it, but Kira stopped him.

"No…you're not sleeping in your coat. It's still dirty from that fight. Off with it." she said walking slowly into the closet to grab some pajamas.

"If I wasn't intent on actually sleeping right now…" he grumbled, trailing off as he did as she said, dressing down to a pair of pajama pants she tossed at him before pulling Kira, having only managed to get into a large t-shirt, down into bed with him, "There…happy?"

She snuggled herself into his chest, his arm draped over her side as he pulled her close to him.

"Almost…let me threaten Shukaku." She said and delved into his mind looking for the perverted Tanuki.

"_**Yes?**_" she heard him respond.

"_Let Gaara sleep peacefully tonight. He needs it. Don't do anything stupid._" Kira stated then he heard Kaminari.

"_**He won't…or I'll kick his ass.**_" Kaminari stated as if glaring pointedly at Shukaku, "_**Get some sleep child. You need it.**_"

"_Okay…good night._" Kira said as Gaara, already out cold, pulled her closer as if she were a teddy bear.

"_**Good night, Kira.**_" Kaminari stated.

"_**Yeah, night, kid.**_" Shukaku said as if sitting back to twiddle his thumbs, after a while, making sure Kira and was really asleep, he spoke again, "_**You know…if I just-**_"

"_**NO. If you get Gaara into trouble you're going to get Kira into trouble and make her upset. If you do that I will **_**NEVER**_** speak to you again.**_" Kaminari stated to him.

"_**You know you can't do that. You've tried not to…and you can't.**_" he stated as if smiling.

"_**Upset Kira and watch me. I don't care about our…history together. If you upset her and ruin her happiness I will never speak to you again, ever, and then I'll kill you. No matter what happened between us before, if you ruin her life I will hate you **_**forever**_**…and I **_**mean it**_** this time. Do you understand me, Shukaku?**_" she returned forcefully.

"_**Yes, Kaminari, I do.**_" He stated, emotionless or at least trying to be, before they both retreated further into their host's subconscious.

_Know you what it is to be a child? It is to be something very different from the man of to-day. It is to have a spirit yet streaming from the waters of baptism; it is to believe in love, to believe in loveliness, to believe in belief; it is to be so little that the elves can reach to whisper in your ear; it is to turn pumpkins into coaches, and mice into horses, lowness into loftiness, and nothing into everything, for each child has its fairy godmother in its own soul." ~ Francis Thompson_

**A/N: There you go…I know, not very interesting, but not every chapter I put out is going to be epic. If you think it was interesting and that I'm too hard on myself, go ahead and tell me…(a.k.a Review and/or Message me about it). I also know, I'm only torturing you with the secret of Shukaku and Kaminari…it's getting there, trust me.**


	19. Chapter 18: Love, Kindness, & Anger

**A/N: Alright! I'm an updating maniac these days! Ok, obviously this is the next chapter. It's got a bit of everything, just no fight scene. The usual: Don't own Naruto characters, only my own. R&R! I love to hear from people about this story. It makes me insanely happy and makes me write more. Also, this is an extra long chapter to make up for the possible boringness of the last one.**

**Note: If you want to know where I am as far as progress goes, check out my profile. I'll try to leave updates on it to let you know I didn't die in case I ever get writer's block again.**

Chapter 18: Love, Kindness, & Anger.

Gaara woke the next morning still holding onto Kira as she slept. He guessed that Kira had showered sometime in the night since she had very distinct clean scent to her hair. He smiled and, not wishing to wake her, slowly got up and went to shower himself. The house was almost dead quiet as he did so, making him look over to the clock on the wall. It was about nine in the morning, meaning he had almost twelve hours of sleep, something that amazed him. When he was done with his shower and changed into a clean set of clothes, not the usual ones, just a black shirt and pants, he went back into the bedroom.

Kira was still asleep, hair all over the place as usual. He sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at her. She looked so peaceful he couldn't bring himself to wake her. Instead, he climbed back in beside her and pulled her to him. She curled up into him instantly, resting her head on his shoulder and her hand on his chest. He wasn't tired anymore, but he felt such a sense of peace he felt his eyes begin to close. Her hand twitched as she murmured in her sleep.

"Don't…go…Gaara…kun…" she murmured and he smiled, taking her hand in his and she squeezed it, "Mine…"

"Yours, all yours." He whispered, bringing her hand up and kissing it softly before setting it down on his chest again and staring at it.

He never really realized before, how slender her hands were, so much so that it suddenly amazed him that those hands had killed. He knew they did, he'd seen them do it, but that didn't mean he wanted to believe it. She stirred a bit causing him to look down at her, seeing her eyes halfway open as she woke up.

"Good morning, Ume-chan." He said with a small smile.

"Good morning, Gaara-kun." She said, sitting up and to look at the clock.

She turned to look at her red haired Kazekage and smiled softly at him causing him to run a hand through her hair and pull her back down for a kiss.

"Sleep well?" he asked and kissed her softly again.

"Mmhmm…" she said kissing him back, "Did you?"

"Very well…I've never slept this long before." He said and kissed her again, this time harder.

"Mmm…Gaara-kun is affectionate this morning…" she said as he kissed her jaw then her lips again before sitting up with her and looking into her eyes, silently staring as if searching for the right words.

"I…when...when I saw him with that damn katana, I was scared, Kira. I know it didn't seem like it but I was scared. I don't know what I would do if anything happened to you." He said stroking her jaw with his thumb as his hand rested on the side of her neck.

"I know Gaara-kun, but I'm fine." She said looking at him and smiled, "I'm fine, and I'm not going anywhere."

"You are not fine, Kira-chan." He said, his thumb running over her lips as they dropped the smile, "Drop the act, Kira. I know you're not fine, or did you forget I feel everything you do?"

"I didn't forget; I knew you were scared the other day because of our bond. I just…" she started, looking down as she searched for the right words, "I don't want you to worry about me, Gaara-kun. I don't want you to get hurt because of _me_."

He turned her head so she would look at him. She looked up into his eyes searching for something, anything that would tell her what he was thinking. She saw a mixture of emotions, each battling the other. The most surprising was fear until it settled on something she still couldn't put a word to when he spoke.

"I will always worry about you, and, if it means protecting you, I don't care if I get hurt." He said and she looked at him confused.

"Why?" she asked, needing an answer and he rested his forehead against hers.

"Because…" he started, staring her straight in the eyes, and decided that it was now or never, "Because I love you. It's hard for me to actually say, but I do. I love you, Kira, and no one is going to take you away from me."

"You're a selfish bastard, you know that?" she said as she pulled him to her for a loving kiss, prompting him to wrap his arms around her back pulling her into him close.

He kissed her back as her hands tangled into his unruly hair, gripping it tenderly as she kissed him. She pulled away, now somehow straddling his lap and looked down into his eyes.

"I know I am, and I don't care, but you seem to be forgetting something." He said and kissed her again.

"What?" she asked looking at him.

"You're _mine_, but I'm _yours_, Kira, all _yours_." The young Kazekage stated, softly scratching her back, almost making her purr.

"That's right. You're _mine_, all _mine_…and I love you." She said smiling that smile that made Gaara melt.

"There's my Kira-chan." He said and kissed her hard, pushing her onto her back as he did so, trapping her underneath him as he settled himself between her legs.

Kira's arms wrapped around his neck instantly as she felt herself going backwards and smiled as she returned his kisses. It amazed her to no end how affectionate and tender this man of hers could be, now knowing how ruthless he was when fighting. He was a killer, she knew that, but so was she and it didn't matter. As long as he could be like this with her, she didn't care if he killed trying to protect her.

Kira couldn't stop herself from moaning softly as his hand travelled down her side to her leg and brought it up to wrap around him. Her other leg soon joined the other, wrapping around him as her lover brought his kisses to her neck, lightly nipping at it before softly licking it. She felt her canines grow, and his as they scraped against her skin.

Gaara couldn't help himself; he loved to make her squirm like this. Bringing his lips to her jaw then back to her lips instinct found his tongue softly grazing her lips, begging her to let him enter. She did, tilting her head as her lips parted for him, making him moan softly in response, then a little louder when her legs tightened and pulled him against her more. A low growl came from him as he smiled against her lips, claiming them again in a kiss that told her exactly what he wanted to do to her. It was when he felt her hands tugging at the waist of his pants that they heard a knock on the door.

Gaara growled in slight annoyance and reached over to the nightstand with one hand and slid the other up Kira's thigh and under the t-shirt she was still wearing as he continued to kiss his lover senseless. The knocking grew louder as his kisses moved to her neck, nipping it lightly as he fumbled in the drawer of the nightstand.

"Gaara!! Wake up!" Kankuro shouted through the door as both of Gaara's searching hands found what they were searching for.

"Gaara!" Kira gasped as his other hand tossed something at the door.

"Holy shit!" Kankuro cursed, staring cross-eyed at the tip of the kunai Gaara threw at the door, mere millimeters from Kankuro's nose.

After the initial shock of nearly having his brother kill him, again, he heard the reason why. His only reaction was to slowly back away from the door and turn around, leaving Gaara and Kira's section of the estate.

"_Ok…not going to try that again…ever._" He thought to himself.

Walking down the hallway he smiled to himself as he shook his head, truly happy for his little brother. Upon entering the main living area of the house he heard a commotion in the kitchen, and when he saw what happened all thoughts of happiness were pushed aside: it was pure chaos.

"What the hell are you doing to our kitchen?!" he asked, making everyone freeze, except for Neji who just sat at the table drinking tea like nothing was going on, and turn to look at him, "Well?!"

"We're trying to make breakfast for everybody!" Lee stated as Hinata walked in, saw the mess, and passed out only to have Naruto catch her, "Pancakes!"

Kankuro's expression was just one of pure annoyance as he watched Naruto take the Hyūga heir out to the living area and set her on the couch. Figuring that the only thing to do was help them not kill each other, he sighed and walked into the kitchen. Kiba stood at the refrigerator as if looking for something as Kankuro stopped to look at him.

"The eggs are on the door. Give them to me." He said as he saw a large purple mess on the counter, "Why is there jelly on the counter?"

"Kiba wanted toast." Neji stated before another sip of tea, "Naruto wanted cereal before you ask, so that's why the cereal is all over the jelly."

"And why didn't you stop this?" Kankuro asked, glaring at the Hyūga prodigy.

"Not my problem, besides, it was like this when I walked in." he said and went back to his tea making Kankuro's eye start twitching.

"Ok…" he said before taking a deep breath and pointed to Lee, "Clean that up. I'll make pancakes. Gaara and Kira won't be here for awhile so I'll make some for us."

"I thought you were going to go wake them up." Neji stated smirking.

"They're busy." Naruto stated walking in with that foxy grin of his prompting Kankuro to look at him, "Jinchuuriki thing."

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" Sakura yelled upon entering the kitchen.

"They tried to make breakfast!" Kankuro shouted back at her, "Go sit with Hinata! Lee, go…run a lap around Suna or something! Kiba, try not to kill Naruto! You…keep drinking your tea!"

Neji snickered before being glared at which surprisingly cowed him back into silence. Naruto stood in the doorway wondering what he was going to do when Kankuro pointed to the cupboard.

"I need a bowl, they're in there." He said and Hinata walked in, having come around, and sat by her cousin who offered her tea.

"Thank you, Nii-san." She said softly before looking at Kankuro, "Where is Gaara-sama and Kira-sama?

"Nee-chan and Gaara are still in bed." Naruto stated as he handed the puppet master a bowl and the young woman nodded.

"I didn't know you could cook." Sakura stated.

"We all can…even Gaara when he feels like it. I'll admit though, Kira's cooking is a lot better than ours." He said and went back to cooking.

A few hours later Gaara and Kira walked into the kitchen to join them. Everybody stopped what they were doing just to stare at them. After a few seconds of this, Gaara dropped into his usual stare.

"What?" he asked.

"Nothing." Kankuro stated, "How are you feeling today?"

"Better." Kira stated, "Still feel a bit low on chakra. Some food ought to remedy that. Hmm, pancake mix."

"Sit down." Gaara stated and took the bowl away from her and grabbed a frying pan, "You're not cooking until you have completely recovered."

"You can cook?" she asked going to the table and he nodded.

"When your siblings stop being afraid of you and you all want something different for dinner you learn to cook for yourself." He stated as he poured another pancake into the pan.

The rest of the day passed by quietly, filled with mostly paperwork from the past few days, and Kira finding herself being waited on. The next day passed in much the same manner until dinner rolled around and she put her foot down.

"For the love of Kami!" she finally snapped, "I'm fine! Stop trying to wait on me!"

"Ok." Gaara stated, "Now I believe you."

She leveled a flat stare at him before he kissed the top of her head and took her paperwork from her.

"_It took two whole days of me letting you wait on me while sitting on the couch like a lump for you to believe me? I would have thought you believed I was fine after that session in bed yesterday morning._" She said to him in her mind and he looked at her, smiling in his eyes.

"_Yes. It did. That session, as you call it, only proved how tired you were. You let me have complete control._" The sand master said making her blush a little as she attempted to glare at him but couldn't, she just didn't have it in her to stay even the least bit angry at him, especially after what he did to her earlier yesterday morning.

"_You're lucky I love you._" Was all she replied to him before standing up.

"I _know_ I am, Kira-chan." He said out loud as she walked into the kitchen to make dinner and she smiled softly at him when she turned her head.

"Come help me with dinner." She said and he got up while giving her a look, "I didn't say I wouldn't need help. There's dinner for nine people to be made and I will need some help with it."

Kankuro only shook his head as his brother got up and obediently followed the woman. He still couldn't help but love the effect Kira had on Gaara. Later, as they sat eating, Kankuro decided to ask something that he had been curious about.

"How did _you_ learn to cook?" he asked before another bite.

"Well, when you're forced to look after yourself and all you can manage to get is fish and some eggs everyday, you learn to make them taste better. That and for a very short period a kind elderly woman took me in and taught me how." Kira said smiling sadly in memory, "She was the best cook and so very kind."

"What happened to her?" Sakura asked and a tear ran down from Kira's eye.

"She was killed when a group of mercenaries found me. After I killed them I buried her next to her son and husband, just like she would have wanted." Kira stated sadly, drifting off in memory until Gaara squeezed her hand, bringing her back to the present.

"It wasn't your fault." He stated to her, worry filling his black rimmed green eyes.

"Yes, it was." She whispered, "How is the food?"

"Very good." Neji stated, "If you don't mind…how did you survive for two years?"

"Pure stubbornness I suppose. If you want to know what I did for money when I needed any…well, I did a lot of things." Kira stated and took another bite while Gaara listened closely, "I never did anything long, just enough to get some money and go."

"Like what?" Kiba asked and handed Akamaru a piece of food.

"Well, after she taught me to cook I worked as a cook for a week in a very small restaurant in the Lightning Country. That was an interesting experience to say the least. After that I worked as security on a ship bound for a village on the coast of the Fang Country. We did run into a small band of pirates, but it wasn't anything major. After that…" she started and tried to remember as she took another bite and chewed slowly then remembered, "After that I worked with a kimono maker, how to dye the silk and what not. His wife liked parading me around town wearing the kimono as a moving model of her husband's work. The kids were adorable; the little girl asked if I fell into her father's purple dye vat when she saw my hair. They were sad to see me go, and I didn't want to, but I had begun hearing of bounty hunter's asking questions in a village up the road. I remember that day so clearly…"

"_I'm so sorry Norio-san, but I must go." She had said as she packed what little she owned._

"_Why, Ren-san? Are you not happy here with us anymore?" the kimono maker asked, kneeling in the doorway with his wife, "Have we done something?"_

"_Is something wrong?" the kind woman asked, concern displayed in her large oval eyes, "If you are in trouble, tell us, Ren-san, and we will help you."_

"_I _have_ been happy here, Norio-san, you've done nothing wrong. I am leaving to make sure you and your children live on in that same happiness." She replied, keeping it as vague as possible._

"_Tell us. You are like family, a sister to our children, tell us why you are leaving. Tell us so we may tell the little ones." The woman demanded, smacking her hand on the floor and Kira sighed._

"_My name is not Ren. It is Kira. I am a kunoichi of Hoshiyamagakure in the Spirit Country. I left after they murdered my brother and sister for something I am not aware of." She stated and shoved more in a bag, not looking at them, "I am a Jinchuuriki, if you know what that is, and there are people, Hunter nin and bounty hunters looking for me."_

_The woman gasped, covering her mouth with her hand as the man stared at the floor. Kira turned, her bag packed, and bowed as low as she could in front of them._

"_I am sorry I deceived you. I only did it to keep you and the children safe. I do not blame you if you hate me. Only know that everything I did and everything that I am doing is to protect you and the children. I _must_ leave."_

"_You, are a ninja…a Jinchuuriki…a…a missing-nin." Norio stated looking at her._

"_Yes, Norio-san, I am and I am sorry. I only left because they took away everything I had ever loved. I am sorry I deceived you." She stated, still bowing and heard him get up and leave with his wife._

_She had stood up then and left her room, stopping by the children's room on her way out. She looked down at them sleeping and knelt by their beds, tears in her eyes refusing to fall as she said goodbye to them, giving them each a kiss on their heads before tucking them in again. When she left and made it to the door she saw the couple standing there with an extra bag. Kira was confused and they must have seen it. The wife walked up to the young woman they had just found out to be a Jinchuuriki and hugged her._

"_Kira-san, we do not hate you. Take this food for your journey." She said and her husband handed her a bag._

"_I can't…" she said trying to refuse, "I don't deserve it."_

"_Take it." Norio said and thrust it at her and hugged her with his wife, "Take it, Kira-san, take it as long as you promise me something."_

"_Anything." She answered, tears pooling in her eyes from their kindness, still not falling…_

"He said: 'Promise me you'll write to the children when you've found yourself a good home. Promise me you'll make the people there as happy as you have made us these past few months. Promise me that you will make something out of yourself and promise me that you will protect that home as you have protected us.'" Kira stated staring down into her food, "I can't bring myself to do it until I can bring back the children…I just can't."

"We'll find them, and then you will write to him." Gaara stated, and wiped away a tear that had escaped from her eye.

"I'm sure they will be proud of you." Kankuro stated smiling at her, "I am."

Kira smiled at her lover's brother before sighing. They were all done with dinner by then and surprisingly, Naruto offered to clean up. He gave her a tight brotherly hug when she stood to help him.

"You did the right thing, Nee-chan." He said and smiled at her.

After the dishes they sat down in the living area and Lee's curiosity got the better of him.

"Kira-sama..." he started and she looked up from a document she was reading.

"Yes, Lee-san?" she asked and signed off on it before stretching a little.

"What else did you do?" he asked, "To get by?"

"Well, after I left Norio-san and his family I somehow found myself in the Claw Country. There…I can't believe I did it…" she said shaking her head as she blushed a bit.

"What?" Hinata asked.

"I was a dancer in a tea house." She said covering her face with a pillow from the couch and everybody stared.

"What kind of dancer?" Kiba asked after a few seconds smiling until he saw Gaara's glare.

"I'd accompany the geisha when they'd dance. If there weren't enough there to perform a piece that a guest wanted to see, I'd come help them. I did that for a few weeks until one night a small group of bounty hunters came in. One of the geisha that knew who I really was, since she always seemed to know when I was lying, told me about them, although Kaminari had already warned me by then…"

"_Kira-san!" a short, yet graceful woman whispered as she ran over with soft steps wearing the regalia of a geisha._

"_What is it Kikuya-san" Kira had asked, stopping her gathering of her belongings._

"_There are men asking my sister about you. They look like bounty hunters! She gave me a signal to come find you!" the young woman stated and started to pull a kimono box, hidden under the floorboards, "We hid this here in case this ever happened."_

"_I know they're here. Wait. What do you mean? Why?" Kira asked as she gathered her things again._

"_Because of when you saved me from that man in the alley when you first got here; you saved my reputation with that one act." She stated as she stood Kira up and began dressing her, "We have decided that we will take you with us when we leave tonight for the Waterfall Country. Kimisuzu has an engagement there with a wealthy land owner. You will be travelling as her younger sister Michizono."_

"_I can't be an apprentice geisha!" Kira protested as Kikuya tied the obi around her._

"_You won't be an apprentice geisha, you've already told me about some of your life, remember? You're perfectly able to pass off being a full geisha. Breath in!" the woman stated and tied the obi tighter._

"_How do you expect me to walk out of here with purple hair then?!" Kira protested and sucked in some air._

"_We have a wig for you to wear. I'll take care of the make up. You won't recognize yourself when we're done with you." She stated and patted the obi in place before sitting Kira down and doing the make-up of a full geisha, "I should've done this before the kimono…"_

"_You're nervous." Kira stated and took the brush, "Let me."_

_A few minutes later they heard the door being knocked on by soft hands. It was Kimisuzu. She told them that the bounty hunters wished for them to perform before they left for their journey to the Waterfall Country. Kira secured the black wig tighter in her hair with a few more picks and nodded, taking the fan that she was handed._

"_Alright, I can do this." She stated and they filed out onto the stage and performed._

_It took all of Kira's training to pull it off. She had even resorted to charming one of the bounty hunters by flicking her eyes at him when she could, hiding behind her fan when they told embarrassing stories, and laughing at jokes. When Kimisuzu announced that it was far past their time to depart the man begged for her to stay._

"_I cannot. The baron will be very angry with my sisters if I do not show up." She stated smiling behind her fan._

"_It is true, he asked specifically for our Michizono. She has come so far, but really we must move on." The elder geisha stated and they made their departure…_

"From there until I entered the Waterfall Country I worked as a geisha, not the first time and not the last. In the Waterfall Country I _was_ offered a place in the baron's estate. I think he took a liking to me, but honestly I fond him so repulsive I politely declined." Kira stated and Gaara pulled her onto his lap and kissed her shoulder where the mark was.

"What then?" Naruto asked as he sat on the floor in front of her like a child at story time, in fact they were all sitting in front of her staring, even Neji.

"Well, from there I entered the Earth Country. I stumbled upon their hidden village at one point. I didn't stay long, too many knowing stares. From there I headed south and entered the Bird Country and found work as a self defense teacher for a small village. They knew I was a ninja obviously but didn't mind as long as I could teach them some taijutsu to help them protect themselves from raiders. After that I worked as a cook again, then a maid in an inn for an even shorter time." Kira stated and leaned back against her mate, who kissed her shoulder again, "I entered the Rain Country after a time after that."

Everyone in the room tensed at the mention of it and Kira could tell, she knew why, Gaara had told her everything about the war, and decided to move on as fast as possible.

"I found Amegakure, or what was left of it. They were trying to rebuild it into a resort town while I was there. I signed on as a cook for a construction company while they finished the new school. After that I went back into the Bird Company as I followed a caravan as a guard. From there I came to the Bear Country, I wasn't there long enough to find work, only leave a few new faces. A group of Hunter nin found me and chased me across the Wind Country to here…"

"_Hide in here." Kira stated as she shoved a family into a room._

"_Why? What's going on?" the father asked._

"_I'm a missing nin from a far away village. I don't want to go back because I will die there. I don't agree with their values anymore. These men are Hunter nin coming to get me. They're after me, not you, but will kill you if they find you with me. Stay here until I lead them away. You'll be safe then." She stated and tried to leave but the mother grabbed her arm._

"_At least tell us your name so that we may pray for your safety in return for giving us ours." She asked, holding her daughter close to her._

"_Tsukino Kira. Now hide, and don't make a sound until they are all gone." She said and the woman nodded before Kira closed the door and ran out to meet the men searching for her, "YOU WANT ME?!! Then come and get me."_

_She took off running at that point, running away from the family she knew would die if they found them…_

"That's the majority of it, I don't remember everything I did, but that's most of it." Kira stated and yawned, "It's time for bed I think."

"I agree." Gaara stated, picking his lover up and spoke to her, "_Now all we need is Shukaku and Kaminari to tell us what they know…it's been starting to bother me_."

After bidding everyone goodnight, she settled in next to her Kazekage and drifted off. The next morning marked a return to the office. Luckily no more children had been taken, so the lock down seemed to be working. The day passed by quietly enough, filled with mission reports and dealing out missions…and paperwork. They had received a message from the ANBU squad investigating the missing children that they had found a small hide out and were going to investigate it, but that was the most interesting thing that had happened that day. It was when they were walking home that it happened.

A group of medic nins ran past them as they walked down the street, obviously trying to get somewhere as fast as possible. They looked at each other before running after them. At the gate to the village they stopped to see a young black haired kunoichi on a stretcher fighting to get up as the medics held her down. Her blue kimono top was covered in blood, a deep gash in her side dripping down onto her shorts as she fought with the medics. Kira recognized her as a teacher at the Academy, she had no idea what she would be doing at the gate like that. Gaara didn't know either and ran up to the medics to find out.

"WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?!" Kira yelled, gaining their attention.

"LET ME GO!! Let me go!!" the young woman shouted still fighting off the medics, "GET THE FUCK OFF OF ME YOU BASTARDS!! LET ME GO!!"

"Sedate her!" a medic shouted and another prepared a needle as she screamed curses and threats at them.

"We found her during a patrol, struggling to run after something. She was in hysterics by then." A shinobi stated as he walked up to the Kazekage.

"How did she get out of the village?" Gaara asked as he looked down at her still struggling as the medics tried to sedate her.

"We don't know."

"Let me the fuck go!!" she shouted and another shout was heard from the gathering crowd as an ANBU pushed through and took off her tiger mask, red brown hair flying out of a bun.

"Amaya, what happened?" she asked, Kira recognizing her as an ANBU captain from Squad 5, as she knelt by the woman, obviously her twin sister by the similarities in the face.

"Tora, they took her!" Amaya stated grabbing her sister's uniform, "THOSE BASTARDS TOOK HER!!"

"Took who?" Gaara asked and the woman looked at him with bright blue eyes as her sister's reddish brown one's looked up too, finally noticing her leaders.

"THEY FUCKING TOOK OUR SISTER!!" she shouted, tears running down her bloodied face as she shouted again, her voice screeching, "THEY TOOK REINA!!"

"No…" Kira said, remembering the little girl they had encountered and looked at Gaara, noticing an anger blooming in his eyes, "Not her…not that little girl."

"You! See that she is taken care of! You, go to my house and get my guests and brother! You! Get me the last relay message from Squad 12's location! You, come with me!" he said pointing to the one called Tora, her codename Kira knew, and she stood up nodding as she put on her mask again, strangely calm, but Kira could feel the anger grow inside her.

"What happens now, Kazekage-sama?" the guard asked the young, angry Kazekage.

"We end this." He growled.

**A/N: And there you have it, Chapter 18. Review and/or message me if you want. Chapter 19 will be out in a few days hopefully. Only other thing I have to say: If you take a little girl that has hugged Gaara and pretty much told him that he is her hero…run for your life.**


	20. Chapter 19:Resurrection & Repetition Pt1

**A/N: This one was harder to get out…but it is here! I was originally planning something else, but it ended up being too long (and I'm not even done with it yet) so I split it up into two chapters…maybe three. The usual: Don't own Naruto, only my own characters and the plot/idea. **

Chapter 19: Resurrection and Repetition Pt. 1

"We're stopping for the night." The young Kazekage ordered, "Find a suitable area for camp."

"Yes, Kazekage-sama." A cat masked male ANBU stated and ran off to find a camp site.

Kira looked over at her lover. He hadn't really said much since they met with the council before they left…

"_You can't lead the rescue team, Kazekage-sama, you're place is here." An elderly man stated as Gaara closed his eyes and sighed again._

"_For the last time: I am going to go and bring them back because if I just send someone that _you_ recommend the same thing that happened the last time someone was abducted will happen. I am not going to stand here and waist time trying to figure out what to do anymore. Baki, you're in charge until we get back." Gaara said and picked up his gourd, Kira following._

"_But-"one started and Kira rounded on him._

"_He has made up his mind. I have made up my mind. I know what happened the last time someone was abducted…he told me all about it. I don't want anyone to die again, even if someone miraculously brings them back to life! We are going and that is final. I won't sit here and wait for more innocent children to be taken from their families. How do you expect the villagers to trust and look up to us if we cannot keep their families safe?!" Kira snapped at them, glaring at them in a way that would have put the sand master to shame if he wasn't proud of her for doing so._

"_Yes, Kage no Kage-sama." They stated and bowed, giving in on that issue before bringing up another, "Why are you taking the ANBU member?"_

"_Because if we don't she'll follow us anyway." Kira stated as she adjusted her hand guard, "Her baby sister was kidnapped, her twin sister was beaten until bloody and is in the hospital in critical condition, and her parents are worried sick. How can I not let her come and try to help save her sister? Right now she's beating herself up over something that isn't her fault."_

_They didn't give up on it and followed the two Kages to the gate asking one final question that set the both of them off._

"_Why all of this for one little girl?" one of the younger ones asked and Gaara stopped and looked back at them and spoke._

"_Because Kira and I promised her we'd keep her safe." He said, as the council stood surrounded by the gathered crowd of parents and shinobi before turning to walk again._

"_What made her so important that you would risk your life for her?!" Another asked, growing angry._

_The young Kazekage was about to turn on them again when he saw Kira glaring at them hard with a sadness in her deep brown eyes._

"_Because she doesn't care that we're Jinchuuriki. She doesn't care about what we have inside us. She's so important because…" Kira stated, eyes pooling with water and continued, "Because she looked up at us, with tears in her big bright eyes, and said, 'No…Kira-sama and Gaara-sama would _never_ do bad things…no matter what _anybody_ says.'"_

_Gaara watched his lover stare back at the council with tears escaping her eyes and joined her, staring back at them as she continued, more tears escaping._

"_She is important to us because she believed with all her little heart and soul that we would never do all those horrible things that we did."_

"_Even when I told her we did," Gaara stated, glaring blankly at them before looking down as if seeing her there, "She's important because even when I told her that yes, I killed people for no other reason than I wanted to prove my own existence, she believed us when Kira told her that we would never hurt her."_

"_She's important because she ran to me and _cried_ when I told her we would die for her and the village and told me that… she didn't _want_ me to." Kira continued, anger and sadness in her eyes as she looked down at the same spot Gaara was and he looked up at the council, angry and sad himself._

"_She's important to us because after all of that…she threw herself into me crying and _**hugged**_ me." The Kazekage stated scowling at them, "She hugged _**me**_ and cried and asked if I would be ok too and that she didn't want me to die either."_

"_You have no idea what that means." Kira stated as she looked at them, "You have _no_ idea what that means to me…having just one little girl come up to you and tell you that you'd never do bad things when you've spent your whole life surrounded by people that expect the worst from you. You have _**no**_ idea what it means to have a little girl tell you in her own way that you are her hero and that _because_ you are her hero you would never do bad things. You have no__idea what that means to _**us**_."_

"_That little girl is the future of this village." Gaara stated glaring at them, "Why do you think the Hidden Leaf prospers like it does? It puts its future in the hands of the next generation. It risks itself to protect the children of the village because it knows that without them there is nothing. No strength…no meaning…no future …"_

"_And no Hope." Kira stated and turned as Gaara did and walked away from them, motioning for the squad of ANBU she personally picked for this mission to head out._

After setting up camp Kira watched as Gaara walked off into the desert, disappearing in a gust of sand and sighed. This was eating away at him, she could see when she had looked at him, and she could feel it. Naruto looked at her and made as if to get up.

"No, Nii-chan, leave him be for a bit." She stated and he nodded and looked at the ANBU member, Tora staring off into the fire, "I've got it."

Kira stood up and walked over to the woman staring into the fire, flexing her fingers around a kunai, and sat down beside her and stared into the fire as well.

"Stop it." she finally stated and the woman jerked her head to look at her, red brown eyes catching the fire light making them even more red.

"Stop what, Kira-sama?"

"Stop being angry with yourself, Tora." Kira stated, her eyes looking sideways at the woman who stared back trying to hide her shock, "Ah...now you're wondering how I knew."

Kira smiled and laughed a bit and looked at Tora.

"You forget that the Kazekage is my lover. I can read his emotions through his eyes faster than I can through our bond. You are no where near as skilled in hiding your emotions as Gaara is, believe me. They say that the eyes are the portal to the soul...and I can see how yours is tearing itself apart right now."

Tora stared off into the fire as Kira looked at her and the young Shadow Kazekage knew what she saw since she had done it many times herself. She saw the faces of her family in the flames; the memories of them. Kira had intended to go to Gaara, since she was getting a distinct 'I need you right now' twinge from him through their bond, but she calmly sent back 'I'll be there as soon as I can' and sat in front of the young ANBU.

"I know." She stated looking up at the woman, "I know how this feels and you _cannot_ blame yourself."

"How do you know how this feels?!" Tora snapped, drawing everyone's attention to them, "My baby sister has been kidnapped by Kami knows who! My _twin_ is in the hospital getting a transfusion because she lost so much blood and might not make it! My parents are probably crying themselves to sleep right now! My family is torn apart! How can you possibly know how this feels?!"

Naruto looked at Kira and knew she was mad at that point, he wasn't sure how he knew since outwardly she looked very calm, but he knew. Kankuro could also tell since he'd seen this from her before and from his brother, therefore was accustomed to it. The others watched in silence as the female Jinchuuriki stood up, towering above the young woman.

"I know…I know because I've been through this too." Kira stated calmly, "I know because my _twin_ brother and my little sister were _murdered_ because of _me_ and I couldn't do anything to stop it. I know because I had that bond with my brother that you have with your sister, not as strong as yours since you seem to still be able to feel her this far away, but it was there. When he died it felt as though a piece of my soul was…_torn_ out of me and shredded before my very eyes. What hurts more is that sometimes I can still feel it there…frayed and beaten and _bloody_. I know how this feels because my family is broken in more ways than you can imagine. My father was _murdered_ by my mother to seal a demon inside of me. My mother _hates_ me and sends assassins and bounty hunters and mercenaries to _kill_ me. My other _siblings_ hate me. They would beat me whenever they could. My little sister…the only sibling other than my brother to show me that love I craved since birth is also dead. She was just like Reina when she was her age. She was innocent, she was clean, she was sweet, and she loved me no matter what people told her…she fought against them since she could walk. She became one of the most dangerous kunoichi of the village because of her desire to protect me from everyone and _myself_. I know how this feels…I _know_, and I am telling you right now, from experience: Do not blame yourself. It will destroy you; it will consume you; and it will fill you with hate."

Tora stared back at her leader speechless as Kira turned away and walked towards Naruto.

"Nii-chan, I'm going to find Gaara. He's calling for me." She said and he smiled at her a rather wide and toothy grin and she smacked him upside the head, "Not for that you...you perverted fox boy!"

"Ow Nee-chan…I didn't say anything!" he whined, rubbing his head.

"No, but you were _thinking_ it. _Why_ are you so perverted?!" she asked and he thought about it as Sakura walked by.

"He spent two years training with Jiraiya-sama, one of the Sannin and the self-proclaimed Super Pervert with No Equal..." She said as she went and sat down by Hinata.

Kira shook her head at them and walked off, giving them a wave before she jumped onto a rock and sat down as if she was meditating. She didn't do so long before Lee looked up at her.

"What are you doing Kira-sama?"

"Trying to zone in on Gaara's location through our bond…" she said eyes still closed.

"What bond?" Neji asked and Kira sweat dropped.

"_Figures he would leave it to me to explain what a Jinchuuriki Life Mate bond is._" She thought before sighing and went to explain it but was stopped.

"The bond of a Jinchuuriki Life Mate." Naruto stated as he poked at the fire with a small stick, "You've seen that scar on Kira-nee-chan's shoulder, right?"

They nodded and he looked at them as Kira returned to meditating.

"That is Gaara's Jinchuuriki Mark that marks her as his mate. He has hers on his shoulder. It…" He started and trailed off, unsure of how to explain it but Kira picked up as she stood up.

"It allows us to feel everything our mate does. Pain, pleasure, sorrow, joy…you name it, we feel it. It also connects our minds in a deeper way than a normal Jinchuuriki bond, which is what allows us to talk telepathically to each other and each other's Bijuu if we touch. We always know where the other is because of it. It is near unbreakable…it would take something near death to break it…" she stated and stared off into the desert, "There he is…"

Everybody looked off in the direction she was staring and only saw short gusts of swirling sand. She looked back at them and smiled and began performing hand seals.

"I meant _I_ found him." She stated and waved to them, "We'll be back by morning at the latest."

"What? How?" Kankuro asked and she laughed as the tiny shards of crystal that helped make up the sand of the desert began to swirl around her.

"The last thing our bond allows…a small transfer of abilities or power. I get a slight control of crystal sand particles from him, he gets…" she started before she was swept away and looked at Neji.

"A larger chakra reserve," Neji stated as they all stared at the spot she was standing in, "I thought something was different."

"No you didn't." Naruto stated sitting down and Neji glared at him.

"P-please don't f-fight…" Hinata pleaded with them and Neji turned and walked away.

Kankuro sat down at the fire and thought about what Kira said. He looked at Naruto as the blonde stared into the fire and wondered for the first time what could possibly be going through his head. He had always thought of it as something incredibly chaotic and filled with thoughts of ramen, being the Hokage, and other random things. Since Kira came he had begun to see a different side of Naruto that proved the blonde wasn't an idiot, he just acted like one a good chunk of the time. Sighing, he decided he needed to know more about what his little brother had gotten into and sat down near the Kyuubi's host.

"What…" he started, trying to weigh his words carefully, "What exactly _is _the bond?"

"It's complicated." The blonde stated shrugging, "All Jinchuuriki know what it is."

"I'm not a Jinchuuriki." Kankuro stated staring at Naruto who shrugged and looked up into the sky.

"I can't tell you much…I don't have one with anybody." The blonde stated and Kankuro raised a brow at him.

"Really? You seem very protective of her." Kankuro stated pointing a thumb behind him at Hinata.

Naruto blushed a little before shaking it off and continued.

"Hinata doesn't know exactly what it is…and…I don't want her to get…hurt." He stated looking down and Kankuro snorted.

"That's her choice. If I remember correctly she already _died_ for you." The puppet master stated and Naruto glanced at her, his eyes softening a little.

"She did more than that…which is why I haven't…" Naruto started and looked at the Sand Shinobi, "No…not happening. Not until…it's none of your business!"

Kankuro chuckled and raised his hands in front of him defensively before speaking.

"Hey, you're right, not my business. I was curious. You were saying about the bond, though…" Kankuro urged.

"It's…" Naruto trailed off again and looked inwardly, "_You could help you know._"

"_**Is it my fault you can't explain even the simplest of things?**_" the Kyuubi's sinister voice asked, sounding rather bored yet annoyed, "_**It is the most primal of bonds yet the strongest. Shukaku's host and my dear Onee-sama's host-**_"

"_They have names you know._" Naruto rounded.

"_**I don't care…anyway, the bond made between those two is stronger than any other can because of…a number of reasons it's not my place to speak of, but mostly because it is made between two Jinchuuriki not a Jinchuuriki and a regular human. In the simplest terms, since that's all you seem to understand: the bond is a way of showing off your property and keeping tabs on it. If you ever got enough courage to take that delicious little morsel of a girl on as a mate…I'd be very pleased for one, she **_**is**_** rather stunning with those pale lavender eyes. Not to mention that long silky dark hair...so very delicious looking…**_"

"_Shut up!_" Naruto yelled at his demon, "_Don't talk about Hina-chan like that!_"

"_**Hina-chan is it now?**_" the demon asked, a low rumbling chuckle coming from him, "_**Heh…like I was saying: If you ever got enough courage to make her your mate wouldn't you want to keep tabs on her too? That's what the mark does…what it **_**is**_**. It's a security blanket. The transfer of power is also set to ensure your mate's survival since if your mate dies…you do too in a way. Left hollow and alone for the rest of your puny miserable life because of how deep the bond runs. Now go away…unless you **_**finally**_** decide to do something with the little morsel…then be sure to tell me, I think I'll enjoy it **_**very**_** much.**_"

"Naruto?" Kankuro asked waving a hand in front of the growling Leaf Shinobi's face a few times and poking him once with a finger, snapping him out of it, "You alright?"

"Yeah…Kyuubi…thing." Naruto brushed it off, "The mark is…well a way of showing the world that that person belongs to you and a way to keep track of that person. If your mate dies…in a way, so do you."

"How will everyone know what it means and why bother? There are only four Jinchuuriki left in the world…that we know about." Kankuro pressed, unknowingly making the blonde a little uncomfortable.

Naruto made an exasperated face at his friend's brother and wondered how to explain this next part. He decided to just go for it; he wasn't really one for subtle conversation.

"It's not just to show Jinchuuriki. It's to show _everybody_. Once a Jinchuuriki is in the _presence_ of its mate…did you ever get the feeling that Nee-chan was Gaara's at any point when you first met her?"

"Yeah…so?"

"That's part of the Jinchuuriki mate thing. When you _mark_ your mate…people _know_ she's taken, they don't just get a feeling, they _know_. Anyone that walks up to Kira, even without knowing who she is or her history will be hit with the sudden knowledge that she belongs to someone. Same thing with Gaara." Naruto stated and leaned back to look up again becoming oddly silent.

"If anything happens to Kira…" Kankuro found himself asking, dreading the actual answer, "What will happen to my brother?"

Naruto looked at him, locking his clear blue eyes on Kankuro's dark ones. Naruto knew Kankuro was afraid of the answer, he was too.

"You don't _want_ to know."

Miles away across the wind swept dunes of the desert, Gaara sat on a rock pillar staring out at the ocean of sand in front of him. He was waiting for Kira to arrive. When he saw a small cloud of crystal particles start to take shape next to him he smirked.

"You caught on to that fast." He said as Kira materialized on a rock pillar across from him larger than the one he was sitting on and he jumped over to it and sat next to her, "What took you so long?"

She lay down, resting her head on his lap as she looked up at him and searched his eyes with hers. She watched as those eyes softened for her as he managed to sit her up again and pull her into his lap.

"Tora had the decency to snap at me in front of the entire camp about something she really shouldn't have, but I can't really blame her. Then I was left to help explain what this," she stated, pulling down the sleeve of her shirt and pointing to the mark he gave her, "is and what it does. Then I actually had to pin point you, then figure out how to get here, and then get here."

He nodded and resumed staring at the desert in silence. She realized he only wanted the knowledge that she was there for him, that she didn't have to say anything, and that she didn't have to do anything except let him hold her. She knew this and snuggled into him, getting comfortable as she realized that this could be a long silent night. Something was bothering her sand master but if he didn't want to talk about it, she wasn't going to pressure him into it.

"_Something has been bothering me lately._" He finally stated, through their bond to maintain the silence outside.

"_What?_" she asked, resting her head on his shoulder and he moved so she would look into his eyes.

"_The bond._" He stated and she sat up looking at him then moved around so she was facing him, legs wrapped around behind his back.

"_What do you mean the bond?_" she asked and he smiled at her softly and pulled her down for a soft kiss.

"_Calm down, I know that look. I meant it when I said I love you, and nothing is going to change that._" He said as he pulled her into him more, wrapping his arms around her back as his forehead pressed against hers, "_What I mean is…I don't know if you've felt it too, but lately I've been feeling as if there are two bonds connecting me to you and you to me. It comes and goes, but it's there and it's strange._"

"_Gaara-kun…_" she started and ran a hand through his hair and hugged him, "_I _have_ noticed it too. After this mission…I think it's time we start pressuring our dear friends Kaminari and Shukaku for some answers. No doubt they know what's going on._"

"_No doubt they do. Shukaku's strangely quiet about it…which only means he knows something. The past couple of days they've both been quiet..._" He stated as he rested his head on her shoulder and sighed, "Whatever it is…you're mine."

"You're mine, too. I'm just as selfish as you are, Gaara-kun. I just hide it better." She said and smiled at him making him chuckle.

"Yes you do, Ume-chan."

"What else is bothering you?" she asked, tilting his head up to look at him and he scowled slightly at her, "Don't give me that look, you know it doesn't work on me…what else is bothering you?"

"Why take so many children?" he asked, "Twenty from each country is the size of a small army. Why?"

"I'm not sure, Gaara-kun, but I think I have an idea. It may just be because of my childhood, but I have a feeling I know. You see back in Hoshiyama there was an incident when I was about…five or so that seems eerily familiar. It started when a kunoichi of the village disappeared. It wouldn't have been such a big thing if the children hadn't started disappearing after she did." Kira started and looked out at the desert, "Then they came back…one by one they all came back like nothing had ever happened. Everything was normal for about a month until suddenly _she_ came back too and demanded that the Reikage hand over the village or face complete and total destruction."

"She obviously didn't." Gaara stated and Kira nodded.

"Right, she didn't. She didn't believe this woman could single handedly take down the entire village. So…the woman, I forget her name, something like Nari I think, activated her own special jutsu…a horrible thing…" Kira stated and trailed off and shuddered.

"What was it?"

"She had implanted curse marks of a kind into the children that had gone missing…they allowed her complete and total control of them with it. She turned them into mindless killing machines. They automatically would do her bidding…just staring at you with a strange green glow in their eyes. She would have won that day, too…but she forgot one thing: the Reikage had no qualms about killing children. I still remember the screams of the parents as their own children killed them and the screams of the other parents after watching the Reikage kill their children mercilessly. Most of all I remember that woman looking down from the tower, eyes that same luminescent green, as she laughed at it all."

"What happened to her?" Gaara asked as he held his mate close to him.

"I'm not sure actually. Official word was that she was captured and locked deep in the mountain's cells. Deeper than they ever put me, and the deeper you go down in there, the more likely it is you won't come out…not human at least." Kira stated and Gaara saw something flash in her eyes as she stiffened before relaxing and shook her head.

"Kira?"

"It's nothing…just that phantom twin bond…" she said looking away, "It kind of acts up whenever I think about my past life in Hoshiyama. It's nothing."

He stared at her before nodding and they continued to stare off into the desert well into morning. A few hours before dawn Kira woke from her nightly nap slightly disoriented before remembering where she was. She looked at Gaara, who was staring silently out at the swirling sand, and nudged him a little. His eyes glanced down at her and a small smile graced his face as she stood up with him.

"We best be getting back." She stated, "We don't need them sending out a team just to find us."

"True." He stated and wrapped an arm around her as he summoned the sand to take them back, "Don't move."

Back in the camp Kiba and Akamaru watched as the sand shifted in camp signaling the return of the two Jinchuuriki. When they materialized he grinned at them and nodded. Akamaru looked up from where he was staring and, in that strange way dogs have, smiled. Kira scratched behind his ears as she passed by to sit down, making the dog's tail wag a bit and Kiba smiled at how this woman of Gaara's could tame just about anything. An hour or so later, before the sun had even risen they woke the rest of their group and began moving again, heading east towards the sea.

As the red morning sun crested over the sand, bathing the desert in a blood red glow, Kira stopped suddenly, shock flooding her face. Akamaru looked at her before sniffing at the air and looking towards the horizon. He cocked his head in confusion.

"_What is it?_" Kiba asked of him.

"_Something smells…wrong…like her but male..._" The dog answered as Kira stared at him and Kiba, feeling something strange in the pit of her mind, "_Something is coming._"

Tora looked up as everyone else did and the first thing she saw was the shock on Kira's face as realization flooded over it. A light gust of the desert's hot air moved the few strands of her hair as she stared at the horizon shaking her head.

Naruto saw his new sister staring at the horizon and looked to where she was looking. He saw two figures walking out from the morning haze, cloaked in black, walking slowly and heavily.

"No…impossible." Kira whispered as she shook her head sinking to her knees, "No, no, no, no, NO!"

"Kira-chan, what is it? What is it?!" Gaara asked as he felt the panic, fear, shock, sorrow, anger, dread, and…hope flooding through their bond.

"It's…her…brother." Tora stated, watching the two figures walk closer as she realized what that look on Kira's face was, "But…he's _dead_. She said they were dead!"

"Nee-chan! Nee-chan!" Naruto asked, kneeling down near her and trying to shake her out of it.

Everyone else was staring in shock as the two came into full view. Kankuro was staring in shock before he realized something about the way they moved was wrong. Gaara noticed his brother's change in stance and looked up, dreading what he would see as the figures threw off their cloaks and Kira screamed as she sobbed.

He saw them: a tall young man with light brown hair falling onto his face, a large strip of black cloth wrapped around his forehead like a forehead protector would be carrying a katana longer than any he had seen before strapped to his back with a tanto strapped to his thigh. He saw the woman too: long dark red hair floating in the breeze with what looked like two short, sheathed katana shaped daggers with loops at the ends, holding a large bun in place, two long braids framing her face. Then he saw the chain around her waist come loose as she pulled on it while the man unsheathed the katana.

"_NO!!_" Kira screamed, reaching out to them as Naruto held her back, "_NII-CHAN, NO!! NO, NEE-CHAN!! _No…NO…_NO_!"

**A/N: There you go…love me or hate me for it. There's more to come in the next chapter…even bigger things I promise since it's finally gonna answer that pesky question: What happened in Shukaku and Kaminari's past! *cue dramatic music***


	21. Chapter 20:Resurrection & Repetition Pt2

**A/N: Ok, really long chapter up ahead…lots of stuff happening. I'm not gonna keep you long so the usual: Don't own Naruto just my own characters and R&R!**

Chapter 20: Resurrection and Repetition Pt. 2

The young Kazekage closed his eyes as he heard her desperate sob and opened them again and saw it was real. His lover's family was standing there in front of them ready to attack, but…something was wrong. He knew what they looked like from her memories yet something was wrong. They had matured with the years, just as she had, but that wasn't it. He stared at them, and it hit him: their eyes were blue green. He knew from his mate's memories that Hikaru had brown eyes like she did and that Kokoro had eyes that shifted with her mood…from pink to purple to brown like her siblings. Gaara stood her up and shook her a little and she looked all around him, shaking and panicking.

"Kira, look at me! Look at me, Kira-chan!" he pleaded and she looked at him, "Something isn't right with this."

He turned her towards them, making her look and she stopped shaking as she saw it too. She stared in disbelief at their eyes and began to frantically think of what to do.

"_**Kira-chan…you're going to have fight them.**_" She heard Kaminari state sympathetically and press her as she shook her head, "_**It's not them! It's not really them and you know it! They're going to try to kill you! Hikaru and Kokoro would never do that!**_"

"DUCK!" Kira shouted pulling Gaara down as Kokoro threw the first set of kunai from her pouch and Kira rolled to the side, drawing her katana as she stood, crouching low.

"Kira-nee-san…you naughty, _naughty_ girl…" Kokoro stated, smiling a slightly crazed smile, "Warning them…tsktsktsk. I'm gonna have to teach you a lesson!"

"Not if I teach you one first." Kira growled standing in front of Gaara as Hikaru rested his katana blade down in the sand and leaned on it.

"Protecting someone, Onee-san? How very unlike you…protecting _them_ like you should have protected _us_." He stated, his eyes starting to glow a sickening blue green color.

"What's going on…?" Sakura whispered as she crouched down.

Hinata and Neji activated their Byakugan as she asked this and saw something suppressing their normal chakra flow at the base of their eyes.

"Don't make me do this…" Kira pleaded with her siblings, "Please, Nii-chan…Nee-chan. I _will_ kill you if you leave me no other choice."

"We _are_ giving you another choice. Two in fact…" Kokoro smiled and pulled out a dagger from her hair and clipped it to the end of the chain before she started swinging it.

"Surrender…or Die." Hikaru stated as he pulled out the tanto from the sheath strapped to his thigh and thrust it into the ground slowly as if struggling with himself, a sign that Kira and everyone else noticed.

"Hikaru…listen to me! You don't want to do this! Fight it!" Kira pleaded as they jumped at her and she blocked them with her own katana, one against the kunai in her brothers hand, the other with her sister's chain wrapped around it with the dagger pointed at her throat, "DON'T DO THIS!"

"Gaara, what do we do?!" Kankuro asked as he tried shaking his little brother who glared at him.

"I don't know…" Gaara stated and Naruto shook his head.

"We have to do something!" the blonde yelled as Akamaru barked and growled.

"There are more!" Kiba shouted as he and Akamaru jumped to the side, barely dodging a set of shuriken.

"We take care of them then!" Gaara stated and sent his sand after the new advancing party, trusting his bond with Kira to let him know if anything should turn for the worse.

"Kira-chan!" Hinata yelled at the young Jinchuuriki, "There's something blocking their chakra! It's in the eyes!"

Naruto jumped to Hinata's side, snapping the neck of someone that was jumping at her and growled at the group advancing on her.

"Touch her and I'll fucking kill you." The young blonde shinobi growled, making Hinata blush as she stared in shock before turning and throwing back an opponent that tried coming at Naruto's back.

"Don't touch my Naruto-kun!" she shouted at the advancing woman before using her Gentle Fist technique to throw her back again, making Naruto grin as he summoned his clones.

"STOP!" Kira yelled at her sister after round housing her brother into a rock pillar, "KOKO, STOP!!"

The red haired kunoichi only laughed as she swung the chain out towards Kankuro's back.

"Kankuro! MOVE!" Kira shouted at the puppet master only to see him turn into his puppet as the blade sunk in, "Kokoro…Nee-chan…_please_ stop this. They have done _nothing_ to you. Please snap out of it…_fight_ it."

"WHY?!" her sister shouted back, "I'm having fun!"

"You always did get in the way of us having fun…" she heard her brother spit at her as he stood up, "Always needing us to make you feel better about your miserable life. Always needing us to take care of you! All I ever wanted was a normal life! A normal childhood! But, NO, I had to have a fucking Jinchuuriki as a twin sister! I wish you were the one that died…not me! All I ever did was try to protect you and you let them kill me!"

"No she didn't!!" Tora yelled at him as she slashed away a shuriken thrown by him with her katana, "Have you even tried to feel what she's feeling right now!?"

"Tora, get out of here." Kira stated, pushing the ANBU behind her, "GO!"

"No…you're my Kage no Kage, I'm supposed to protect you!" she stated and Kira pushed her again.

"Tora…go!" Kira shouted at her.

"He's your twin! Why can't he see what he's doing?!"

"Because the thing in his eyes is not my brother, Tora! I am the only one that can do this, now go! That is an order!"

"Well, I'm disobeying orders…" the woman growled as she blocked a cut from Hikaru's katana with her own, "You can't do this by yourself!"

"I HAVE TO!" Kira yelled as she caught her sister's chain whip and pulled on it, "Her weapons are dosed with poison! One scratch and you're dead!"

"What about you?!" Tora asked as she fought with Kira's brother.

"I'm immune to the toxins, go help Gaara!" Kira shouted and pushed the ANBU over to her mate who looked down at her.

"She's so stubborn." He growled and sent a tendril of sand at Hikaru, trapping his feet as Kira dodged a strike from her sister.

Kira punched her brother in the face as he struggled against the sand, throwing down her katana.

"I am not going to fight you! You're my _brother_!" she shouted and grabbed the collar of his shirt and shook him and slapped him again before crying, "You're my brother…_please_. Fight this! _PLEASE_!"

"Kira-nee-chan…" he gasped, eyes flashing to brown, "Help me...I'm trying to…AAHHHH!"

He pulled free from Gaara's sand as the sand master was knocked forward by an opponent and grabbed one of Kira's katana and attacked her as Kokoro pulled a rope dart from her shoe and swung it.

"HELP US, NEE-CHAN!!" Kokoro screamed as the rope wrapped around the katana, pulling it back, away from Kira.

"_What do I do!?_" Kira asked in her head.

"_**The curse is in their eyes! You have to draw it out!**_" Kaminari stated.

"_How?_"

"_**Blood, Kira! KIRA BEHIND YOU!**_" Kaminari screamed but it was too late and Kira felt the katana rip through her middle and screamed, canines growing.

Gaara felt the surge of pain and looked at Kira, her own katana being driven through her by her own brother as the other one was forced through her front by Kokoro. Naruto stopped as he took down another opponent and stared as Kira fell over, her own two katana lodged in her. He saw Gaara freeze as he tried to run over and grab his head, eyes turning black and gold as he groaned.

"_I'M GOING TO KILL THEM!_" the Kazekage thought before noticing the panic coming from Shukaku.

"_**Those stupid morons! They just did the dumbest thing they could have ever done!! LET ME OUT NOW!!**_" the demon ordered and somehow forced Gaara's head up to look even as Gaara was shaking his head no, fighting the demon inside of him.

Naruto saw Gaara let his head go as he shook it, one eye Shukaku's, the other his and looked over at Kira's body as her siblings stood up from it and backed away from it in fear. He watched as Kira rolled onto her stomach, forcing the one katana in more as she laughed.

She stood up, blood running in sheets down her legs, and laughed at the two siblings. Her eyes were an icy violet, not glowing violet, they _were_ violet…an ice cold, murderous violet. Everyone stopped what they were doing as they stared at her, mouths hanging open as they watched her pull out the katana from her body and laugh. When she spoke, Gaara knew why.

"You stupid…ignorant…_children_!" Kaminari spat at Kira's siblings, having taken over Kira's body at the last possible second to protect and heal her, "Do you even know what you've _done_?! You pierced her with her own katana! Ha! You stabbed your sister with two _demonically_ _sealed_ katana!"

"W-what?" Hikaru asked, the glow dimming from his eyes slightly as he watched the demon lick the blood off of one of the katana, then the other.

She held the katana in front of her and everyone saw the blood run down the etching of ten tailed griffin on it making it stand out against the otherwise pure white of the blade. She laughed as she turned them around and Naruto saw seals appear on it and realized that they formed the key to Kira's seal.

"I hid them there before they sealed me in her…" Kaminari stated smiling, "Hoping that one day someone would be dumb enough to pierce her with them since only her blood can activate it…hehehe…and you _did_."

"Oh Kami…" Kokoro stated backing up as they watched Kaminari toss the katana in the air and perform a strange set of hand seals.

"Great Demonic Key Technique: Juubi no Kaminari!" The demon roared as the katana hit the ground, embedding themselves deep within the earth as shards of crystal erupted from the ground.

"_Shukaku! What the fuck is going on!?_" Gaara asked his demon as he watched wide eyed.

"_**LET ME OUT KID!! LET ME OUT OR SHE'S GOING TO KILL EVERYONE!**_" The demon yelled, fighting with Gaara's will as they watched Kira fall down into the middle of a ring of crystal.

The next thing they saw, or felt rather, was the wind rushing past them, carrying shards of crystal from the desert to swirl around Kira. It soon materialized into a human form and a woman, ageless to their eyes, with long dark purple hair stood up and stepped out of the circle in an icy blue kimono, a ten tailed griffin embroidered in it up to her hip, and smiled revealing a pair of very inhuman canines.

"_**GAARA! LET ME OUT!!**_" Shukaku roared.

"_NO!_" Gaara fought.

"_**IN MY OWN DEFENSE: THE LAST TIME YOU DIDN'T LISTEN TO ME WHEN I TOLD YOU TO LET ME OUT, YOU DIED!!**_" Shukaku yelled as he fought against Gaara and realized what he had to do, "_**Karura…forgive me.**_"

Gaara stopped and saw the sand materialize as a spear in front of him before driving through him into the gourd on his back. Kankuro ran towards his brother but was stopped by a wall of sand that shot up out of the desert. It soon took a human form running towards the advancing Kaminari, whose blood lust had taken over her. As she was about to bring the katana down on Kokoro, Kira dove in front of her with her brother's katana, blocking it and forcing the demon back.

Kankuro stared as he saw Kira, completely unharmed stand up in front of her siblings as a sand haired man jumped out of the sand wielding the Spear of Shukaku wearing a blood red robe, a one tailed tanuki embroidered on it.

"Kaminari…stop it!" the man stated as he blocked the katana from hitting Kira, "You know you don't want this!"

Everyone who was frozen in shock slowly came out of it as Gaara stood up, unharmed, and ran over to Kira, grabbing the staff Lee tossed him and used it to crack a man coming at Kira's back across the head. He threw it back to his friend as he used the sand to form his own spear, now slightly different from the one the other man was using as he fought Kira's demon.

"KAMINARI STOP!!" the man roared, baring a pair of inhuman canines to the world, and sent a wave of sand at her as she rushed him, blood lust clear in her violet eyes, "PLEASE, KISAI!! _STOP_!!"

She stopped as she forced the katana down into his spear and blinked at him. He sunk to his knees and looked up at her with black rimmed golden eyes begging her.

"Please…you don't want this." He said gripping the fabric of her kimono in one hand as she blinked, internally fighting with herself, "You don't want this. You don't want to hurt Kira…you don't. Please, Kisai…_stop_. If I'm here begging you to stop…stop."

"Shu…" she muttered at him, a shaking hand slowly reaching out to rest on the side of his face and his eyes closed as he leaned into it before she reached back and slapped him hard across the face, his head cracking around with it, "How _dare_ you!"

"Ow…we'll argue later! Right now…we have to help them!" he stated rubbing the side of his face as he stood up and pointed towards Gaara and Kira who were now fighting her siblings again.

"I fucking hate you so much you pain in my ass!" she snarled at him before stomping off to help her host and the sand haired one chuckled shaking his head.

"Just like the good old days!" he shouted as he ran at a man coming at Gaara's back and cleaved him in two.

Gaara looked at him, confusion and recognition in his eyes before he snarled and blocked Hikaru's blade from cleaving Kira in two.

Kira once again ripped the chain from Kokoro's hands and tossed it away as her sister charged at her with a kunai, eyes glowing blue green. Kira saw the woman that was apparently Kaminari's human form jump in front of her and take the kunai to the shoulder blow that was meant for Kira.

Kiba watched as Naruto took down another man that had tried to jump onto Hinata and smirked. He was surprised at how protective the blonde was getting of the shy Hyuga. Hinata herself turned to send a blow into the man at Naruto's back as her cousin knocked back five others into a rock that collapsed on them. Lee had just finished with his last opponent as Kankuro violently ended the life of the man running at Gaara's back.

"Stop this you foolish child…" Kaminari growled as she stood up and wrenched out the kunai buried in her shoulder and tossed it aside, "Kira take care of your brother. I've got this one."

"Alright, but…" Kira started and Kaminari glared at her.

"I'm not going to kill her if I can help it. Hurry! The curse can be drawn out of them! You're blood, Kira! Make your brother remember that. Oh no you don't!" Kaminari growled as she caught another of Kokoro's kunai and threw it into a rock.

Kira looked behind her at Gaara who was fighting her brother trying to figure out how _not_ to kill him or hurt him too much. She ran over to him and blocked a slash from her brother with her arm guards and looked him in the eye.

"Hikaru…stop! You don't want to fight me! You know you don't!" she pleaded with him and Gaara wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back as her brother brought down another slash with his katana, "Nii-chan _please_! Gaara let go of me! Let me go!"

"No!" Gaara stated and pulled her back again out of the way, "_I'm not going to lose you again._"

"You never did!" she yelled at him as she pulled against him, "I have to stop this, Gaara-kun! Let me go or help me!"

Her brother stopped and his eyes flashed to brown as he stared at the two lovers, confusion filling his face. His eyebrow rose as he stared at the man who had an arm around his sister's waist.

" 'Gaara-kun'? You never use honorifics unless you…care…about AAAHHH!!!" he screamed as he fought with himself and his eyes returned to the blue green glow as he jumped at them.

Gaara pulled his lover into him as he spun around her with his back to Hikaru, his Sand Shield coming up to protect them as he heard a familiar voice.

"Snap out of this you moron!" he heard then the sound of weapons clashing.

When the shield came down he saw the sand haired man with the spear in front of them as he knocked away Hikaru's katana. Sudden realization hit Gaara as he figured out who this man was.

"Shukaku?" he asked at the man who turned around and grinned at him.

"What? Surprised to see me protecting your scrawny ass? I don't see why…I've been doing it since you were born." He stated as he knocked away a handful of shuriken that Kira's brother tossed at them.

Kira pulled out of Gaara's grip and ran at her brother, dodging the kunai and shuriken he threw at her, and running around the walls of sand that shot up to block the others coming at her. She met her brother fist to fist when she reached him. She could see he had gotten stronger during the past two years, but she was still the stronger of the two; she just didn't want to hurt him…too bad.

"Hikaru!" she growled and punched him in the gut before bringing her knee up into his jaw, knocking him down.

She crouched down in a defensive stance as he slowly stood up and wiped the blood from his lip. He glared at her, eyes glowing that eerie blue green color and pulled a kunai from his pouch and gripped it tight. She glared right back at him and pulled her own kunai out and growled at him.

"You're not even trying to fight this!" she snapped at him as they charged each other, metal hitting metal, "You're just giving up! What happened to my brother?!"

"I'm right here, Onee-san!" he growled back, eyes brown and angry, "I'm just tired of keeping up the illusion that I died for you!"

She grabbed his shirt and threw him down into the sand and pinned him down staring hard at him.

"Then don't! Why keep up that illusion when I'm staring right at you?!" she growled and he fought back eyes flashing from blue green to brown.

"Because I don't have a choice! For two years I've hunted you down, chased after you, killed for you, stole for you, lied for you…and you've never even bothered to look for us! I don't like this…but maybe it's for the best if you just die!" he spat at her and she allowed the tears to well in her eyes, "I've never allowed myself to consider it before she cursed us, but with the curse…it's becoming awfully clear to me what's best for the world!"

"You stupid _BOY_!" Kira heard Kaminari yell at him, "She's spent two years thinking you were _dead_! Two years running for her life…alone. If she even had the slightest clue that you were alive she would have torn everything apart just to find you!"

"How the fuck do you know!?" Hikaru yelled back as he struggled against his sister and Kaminari knocked Kokoro into a pillar dazing her for a bit.

"Because I've had to _feel_ it every day for two years! I've had to feel that pain for two years! I've had to watch her hide it! I've had to sit there and watch it fester knowing I couldn't do anything! Can you even imagine what it's like thinking you've lost the only two people that ever showed you love? Can you even imagine what that _feels_ like?!" the great demon yelled and Gaara looked down at the man his lover was fighting.

"It hurts." He said and Hikaru looked at him, "It's a dull aching pain that rips your insides out through your heart. I've never felt such pain before I met your sister. Look at her! Look at what you're doing to her!"

The man looked up at his sister and saw her eyes brimming with tears as she shook, trying to hold back her sobs. She collapsed onto him suddenly, resting her head on his chest as she weakly pounded at it with a fist.

"_Please stop this_! You're my _brother_! You and Koko are the only family I have ever had! You're my blood! You're my _BROTHER_!" she sobbed and he stared at her before he felt the curse burn into him again.

He shoved her off, ready to hit her as a hand wrapped around his wrist and he looked up to see two clear blue eyes looking down at him as his peripheral vision caught sight of a red haired man holding Kira to him tightly.

"Who the fuck are you?!" her brother spat at the blonde.

"Uzumaki Naruto, Kira-nee-chan's brother." the blonde growled before punching the man into a rock.

"Her brother?!" Hikaru asked standing up and rubbing his jaw, "_I'm_ her brother!"

"You might be her 'real' brother…but Naruto is being more of a brother to her than you are! He's not the one trying to kill her!" Kankuro yelled at him.

"_LOOK AT HER, YOU IDIOT_!" Naruto yelled at him and picked him up by the shirt, "Look what you're doing to my sister! _Your_ sister!"

The man looked over at Kira as she sobbed into Gaara's shirt, pounding his chest with her fist futilely as she tried to pull away again. He saw the red haired Kazekage glaring back at him with eyes filled with anger and pain. Kira looked back at him, brown eyes begging him to fight it, and he blinked at her. His eyes went back to brown again as he saw the pain his sister was in and felt it through what was left of the bond he had with her. His eyes softened as Naruto set him down and he took a step towards her before the curse in his system pulled up more anger and hate and forced it to the front.

"You're all talking like you know what it's like being her brother!" he spat at them, "Spending years-"

"Of your life afraid of what they could do at any moment?!" Kankuro yelled at him, standing in front of his little brother, visibly angry, "Spending years of your life fighting for _their_ life?! Fighting against those that would rather lock them up and throw them away as a lost cause or a failed experiment?! I know what that's like! I've dealt with it too! I'm _still_ dealing with it!"

"What the fuck are you talking about?" the younger twin asked glaring at this black garbed man with the purple paint on his face as he pointed to the red haired one behind him.

"Do you see him?! He's _my_ brother! He's a Jinchuuriki that threatened to kill me every day for _eight years_! I lived in fear of my own little brother suddenly losing it and destroying the entire village! Our father tried to kill him and labeled him as a failed experiment! He sent assassins after his own five year old son and even our own mother's brother tried to kill him when our father asked him to!" Kankuro yelled at him as Kaminari and Shukaku dealt with Kokoro, figuring that it was better for Kira to deal with her siblings one at a time.

"Have you ever almost died for him?!" Hikaru yelled at the puppet master, "Have you ever had people attack you because of what he is?!"

"YES!" Kankuro yelled right back, "When someone took him I fought to bring him back and almost died! They had to hold me down while they operated on me! Ask her! She knows!"

Sakura nodded as she glared at the man while holding back Kira with Gaara. Hikaru looked at the man and at his sister and the man holding her, then at the blonde that stood off to his side. His eyes began to slowly glow blue green.

"What about you?" he asked Naruto in a growl, "How are you her brother? Huh? What makes you want to have her as a sister?"

"Because I'm a Jinchuuriki, too." Naruto stated at him sadly, "Because our demons are siblings…and that makes her my sister. She's the only one I've ever had and I'll protect her or die trying."

"Why?" the young man asked, feeling more and more like he was being backed into a corner, "Why?!"

"Because I know what it feels like to be her!" Naruto yelled, "To have the whole village hate you because they blame you for the deaths of their family! To have the whole village hate you because of what you are even though it's not your fault! To live with the knowledge that your father died trying to protect the village...died trying to protect you…"

Kira looked up at the man she called her brother and pulled out of Gaara and Sakura's grip and threw a punch at him, knocking him down.

"Look at me." she commanded him, "Look at me! Our father died…not because of _me_, but because of _us_. Don't you remember that? She was going to try to split Kaminari into both of us, because I am your _sister_. Your _twin_ sister!"

He looked at her then quickly pulled out a scroll as he stood up and she went to hit him again.

"Nii-chan, STOP!" she screamed at him and he pulled her into him as he brought an ancient looking katana out from the scroll and used it to block the Fuma shuriken Kokoro had thrown at them.

"KOKORO!! STOP!" He yelled, eyes a clear deep brown, and he looked at Kira.

"Nii-chan…" Kira said and smiled as he grinned back, "How…"

"I remembered something you told me once, Nee-chan: We came into this world together…"

"We go out together when we're damn well ready to." She finished and he handed her another katana.

She smiled as they turned to face their wayward little sister as a wall of sand protected the two from a volley of shuriken from the back.

"That was a stupid mistake…" Gaara growled at their attackers as he sent his sand flying behind the twins, "I'll kill you for it."

"I have the feeling that you and him are…" Hikaru started as they walked towards their maniacally laughing little sister, "You know…"

"We are…" Kira stated and chuckled at her brother's horrified expression, "What? I'm a full grown woman thank you very much. I can sleep with who and what I choose. I could've done worse."

"I'm your brother; I'm supposed to worry about whether or not the man you choose can take care of you!" Hikaru stated as he slipped into the protective brother behavior Kira loved, "Wait…you slept with him?!"

"Yes, we share a bed every night. As for taking care of me…he's the Kazekage of Sunagakure, one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations and _very_ protective of me. You couldn't ask for a better brother-in-law." Kira stated and he glared at her.

"You _slept_ with him?!" he asked again staring at her wide eyed and she glared at him.

"Yes, I slept with him. He's my Jinchuuriki mate. You better get used to the idea, he's not giving me up and I'm not giving him up…even for you." She stated and looked at him seriously and he growled at her earning a growl back before they heard a light tinkling laugh.

They turned their heads towards their sister who was rolling on the ground laughing. The two twins sweat dropped at their younger sister and she looked at them, eyes a bright pinkish purple.

"Hahaha! Only you two would still want to kill each other after freeing the other from a mind control curse seal! Hahahaha!" she laughed then stopped and stared at Kira then at Gaara and pointed back and forth between the two, "You…got some of…that?"

Kira sweat dropped again as she tossed a kunai at the man attacking Gaara's back as the sand master himself crushed the one in front of him using sand coffin on the last of the reinforcement wave. He turned to look at them and stared questioningly at them and Kira's expression as she turned around, throwing her hands in the air giving up. He saw her brother glare questioningly at him as Kokoro followed her sister and stopped in front of Gaara before turning to her sister again.

"You slept with _him_?" she asked again and pointed to Gaara as Kira glared at her.

"Yes, I did." Kira stated and Gaara looked at her confused.

"That's all it took for her to come out of a curse seal?" Gaara asked his mate who was walking towards him, "Hearing that you slept with me?"

"Apparently…I forgot that she's an even bigger pervert than Kankuro is..." Kira sighed as she shook her head as she let it drop down onto Gaara's shoulder.

Kokoro looked at him up and down, studying him as she walked around him and poked him once or twice. Confused and bewildered Gaara just stared at her like she was some strange freak of nature before Kokoro stared him in the eyes and poked his chest again.

"You slept with my sister?" she asked glaring at him.

"So?" Gaara asked as everyone else watched in amusement, especially Shukaku who was leaning against the spear chuckling.

"What's your name?"

"Sabaku no Gaara…" he answered staring at her then at Kira who had stood up again with her forehead against her palm muttering to herself.

"What do you do for a living?" Kokoro asked again glaring at him.

"I'm the Kazekage of Sunagakure." He answered again, getting slightly annoyed with this.

"Well that answers rank…why do you have the weird black eye thing going on?"

"I'm the host of the Ichibi, Shukaku…and I don't sleep." He answered crossing his arms over his chest and glaring back at her.

"You don't sleep?" Kokoro asked and grinned slightly perverted as she turned to look at her sister, "He can go all night then?"

"Kokoro!" Hikaru and Kira yelled at her and she grinned more before patting Gaara on the shoulder.

"I like you. Keep her satisfied and I won't have to put up with any grumpy crankiness." She stated and he turned the exact shade of pink Kira turned and her sister laughed as Shukaku fell down laughing hard as Kaminari chuckled.

This brought Gaara and Kira's attention to them. The two Sand Kages turned and glared at the two bijuu in human form and stalked over to them. Shukaku looked up and instantly knew what was going to happen as he stood up and met Gaara's glare eye to eye and smirked. Kaminari stared back coolly at her own host who was pointing at her getting ready to speak.

"You two…answers!" Kira managed to get out and Gaara nodded a slight fury in his eyes at his demon.

"Now." The Kazekage stated glaring at the two in front of him and his lover as everyone else stared, curious as well.

"I'm tired of the secrets! I want to know right now what the fuck is going on with you two!" Kira yelled at them furious.

"I agree, Shukaku, now tell us what the fuck happened between you two and what it has to do with us!" Gaara ordered and Shukaku sighed as he closed his eyes.

Kaminari sighed as well and pulled down the collar of her kimono to show her shoulder and pulled down Shukaku's robe as well. She had a scar, the kanji for both sand and wind, on her shoulder. He had one as well, the kanji for both crystal and spirit, on his own shoulder. The great tanuki demon looked at the two before him and spoke.

"She's my mate."

**A/N: There you go! Same as last time: Love me or Hate me for it and R&R! I know it's a lot to take in but it's a very chaotic moment. I'm already working on the next chapter…which will answer lots of questions about Shukaku and Kaminari. **


	22. Chapter 21: Answers

**A/N: Alright, this is the first of the two longest chapters ever. It was originally gonna be one big chapter but after it got much longer than anticipated and for some it bugs me to post a 25 page chapter when all others have been about 10. The next chapter is also out. So Read and Review. I love me some feedback.**

Chapter 21: Answers

The two Jinchuuriki blinked at them for a moment before Kira closed her eyes and sighed, realizing that this would have to wait.

"Ok…now, as much as I want to interrogate the two of you it's going to have to wait." Kira stated and Gaara nodded as he caught on to what she was thinking.

"We have a mission to do and can't afford to waist any more time." He stated and glared at Shukaku, "We'll finish this later."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever kid." The demon stated and pulled out a scroll from his sleeve and handed it to Gaara, "Here, this will teach you how to summon me like this since I have the feeling you'll want to so you can 'interrogate' us. See you later. Oh, you're gonna have a little bit of a head ache."

"Huh?" Gaara asked and the demon grinned before looking at Kaminari who looked back at him.

"What do you want now?" she asked and he grinned at her.

"You know what I want, Kisai…" he stated grinning and walking over towards her predatorily.

"No." she stated and pushed him back and he smiled wickedly and shook a finger at her.

"That's not how it works, Kisai…I won." He said and crossed his arms over his chest, "I want a prize before I go back in his head."

She glared at him and Kira watched with a mild interest. Gaara did too as his hand subconsciously went to hold hers.

"_Why do I have the feeling I know what it is he wants_?" Gaara asked her and she smiled at him.

"_Because he pretty much lives in your head._" She stated and he nodded as Kaminari gave up and sighed.

"You already know…why do you make me do this?" she asked and Shukaku looked at her.

"Because I need to hear it, Kaminari, so please…say it." he begged and Kira saw something in the woman's eyes change as her hand gently ran through the others messy sand colored hair.

"I'm yours, all yours, and no one else's, Shukaku." She stated and he hugged her making Gaara stare at him.

"Mine." The tanuki demon stated and looked her in the eyes, "All mine…and I know I'm the most selfish bastard in the world and I don't give a fuck. You are mine and I'll be damned if that fucking bastard thinks he can have you."

"Well, at least I know where you get it from now." Kira stated to Gaara who nodded while staring at Shukaku having never seen or heard this side of the demon before.

"I have only two things to say to you before I return to Kira's subconscious you pain in my ass." Kaminari stated as she glared at her own mate.

"What?"

"This time we fight him together. No sending me off to who knows where." She stated and he nodded, "And I love you…as much as I hate you I still love you more, although I really don't know why."

The demon grinned at her as he chuckled and stepped back.

"Because I'm irresistible, that's why." He stated and she shook her head at him as they both performed a hand seal and disappeared in clouds of sand and crystal.

Their two hosts felt them sink down out of reach in their minds and sighed as they turned around to face their friends, family, and subordinates. Gaara heard something moving and looked in its direction. Kira did too and saw one of their enemies still alive off in the distance.

"Bring him here." She stated to the closest ANBU.

"Yes, Kage no Kage-sama." He stated before he went off to get the man.

"Kage no Kage-sama?" Hikaru asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he looked at his twin and her lover.

"The Kage no Kage is the second in command of the village." Gaara stated as he inspected his gourd and fixed the hole that Shukaku had caused.

"Gaara-kun appointed me to the position shortly after I arrived in Sunagakure. I help him run things." Kira stated as she cleaned off her katana and the ANBU appeared beside her and tossed down the man, "Thank you and now go tend to the wounded."

"Already done, Kage no Kage-sama." The ANBU stated bowing and she nodded.

"Good. Nee-chan, Hikaru…tell me now, where did you come from and why?" Kira asked as she and Gaara stood staring at them.

Hikaru stared back at her defiantly and Kokoro smacked him upside the head making him glare at her instead. She just shook her head and spoke.

"You remember that woman from years ago that tried to take over the village using the children?" Koko asked and Kira nodded, dreading where this was going, "Well apparently she had a daughter who she taught all of her ninjutsu including that one particular Juinjutsu. We were originally going to meet with an informant of mine in a small village lying off the coast to gain more information on your whereabouts."

"It was our own fault for not taking the time to completely check our surroundings but we were trying to find you before she did or before Izokuro did." Hikaru stated and Gaara growled at the name and twitched slightly.

"He did find her." The Kazekage growled before Kira gently rested a hand on his shoulder and he relaxed.

"A few days ago on our return trip from Konoha he ambushed us." Kira stated, "But more on that later…keep going."

"Anyway, as I was saying: We were in a rush so we walked straight into a trap." Hikaru continued, "Koko's informant was dead when we arrived at the meeting place outside of a small village I don't remember much until after she used her technique…I'm…sorry."

"I know, Nii-chan." Kira stated and hugged her brother, "I know you are. How far is the village from here?"

"About half a day from here, Kira-nee-chan." Kokoro stated and picked up her chain whip and swung it at the man as he tried to run away again and pulled him back, "I don't think so."

Kankuro watched and chuckled at the small woman. He had to admit that so far she was proving to be just as interesting as Kira was.

"Well, well…aren't you the little viper?" he stated and she finally noticed he was there.

"I'm more dangerous than a viper. Lucky for you I don't bite…" she stated and looked him over and grinned, "Unless you want me to."

"Maybe…" the puppet master admitted grinning and Kira smacked him upside the head.

"Control your hormones you two, and don't you forget: that's my baby sister." Kira stated to the man as he rubbed his head and he spoke pointing to Gaara.

"And that's my baby brother."

"Touché." She admitted and nodded to Kokoro who picked up the man and pushed him against a large rock that was in the desert.

He struggled against her until she gripped his arm and pulled out a small vial of something.

"What's that?" Kira asked and her sister smiled sweetly.

"Nothing special…just something I whipped up using some strange plant in the desert, scorpion venom, and the usual things. I don't know what it does yet but I plan on finding out." She stated and uncorked it with her teeth as Kankuro shook his head at her, "Open wide…"

"Please no!" the man struggled, "I'll tell you anything you want!"

"Well that was easy." Kira stated and Gaara nodded as Hikaru grinned.

"He must remember what you did to the other guy you made test your poisons." Hikaru stated and pulled out his katana, "Which means he's the one that's been following us. Hehehehe…this is going to be interesting."

"What are you going to do?" the man asked and Hikaru grinned and looked at Kira who grinned wickedly.

"Oh…nothing." Kira stated and pulled out a black shard of crystal from her hand guard, "As long as you cooperate and answer every single question I ask you."

The man nodded as Kira's lips curled up in a rather crazed smile, baring her canines as her eyes flashed violet.

"Good. Now, who is your leader?" she asked and the man looked at them and shook his head.

"I don't know." He stated and Kira frowned and tilted her head towards her brother who nodded and brought the point of his katana to the back of the man's hand as Kokoro flattened it, "I don't know her name! I don't know! She's about sixteen, five foot five, I can't guess weight, blonde hair, blue green eyes, scar on her lower left forearm, I don't know her name!"

"Ok, good. I'm guessing that you are no shinobi judging by your willingness to answer our questions and your obvious lack of basic escape techniques," Gaara stated as he stared at him, "What is your purpose?"

"Pur-purpose? What do you mean purpose?" he asked and Hikaru pushed the katana a little, "I bring her the kids! That's all! She pays me to bring her kids! Sixty three thousand ryō per kid! That's all!"

"Then what the fuck are you doing here?" Hikaru asked, "And why were you following us?"

"She paid me an extra ten thousand to follow you! She never said when to stop following you. I figured if I helped you kill her she'd pay me extra!" He said and Kira looked at him and pulled his hand into her brother's katana, piercing it.

"Don't lie to me." She growled as Kokoro covered his mouth as he screamed, "Why?"

"She ordered an assassination on the Kazekage and Kage no Kage when she heard you were coming!! Fifty million ryō each!" he shouted and she pulled his hand up farther, "I swear!"

"I believe you, that was for lying to me in the first place…now tell me why you were following my brother and sister." She stated and showed him the crystal shard, "Or this goes in your hand too."

"She paid me to lead them into the ambush! I sent the letter to your sister saying that an informant had information on your location!" he stated and she tapped the end of the shard across his nose and balanced it on the point right between his eyes.

"Why?" she asked and he stared cross eyed at the shard and she pushed slightly, "Why did she want my family?"

"I-I don't know. I swear I don't know." He said and she tsked at him before pushing more, "She wanted bait! Bait for you! She somehow knew that if you were lured out the Kazekage would follow!"

"How did she learn this information?" Kira asked and Hikaru twisted the blade a little making him scream, "That was uncalled for Nii-chan."

"My hand slipped." He stated grinning a little, "You know how I get when people lie to me and take too long to answer our questions."

"Try to steady those hands…or mine might slip too." She said and the shard pressed more into his head, drawing the tiniest bead of blood.

"There's a leak in the Sunagakure Municipal Board!" the man stated frantically and Gaara looked at him.

"Who?" the red haired Kazekage asked.

"I don't know! Someone named Ruri!" he said and Kokoro pulled the other dagger from her hair and jammed it into his other hand as it tried to slowly reach for her tool pouch.

"Don't try that again." She growled and twisted it as he screamed, "Family name?"

"Sa…Sada…Sanaye! Sanaye Ruri! Please stop!"

"Hmm…it looks like I forgot to dose this one…" Kokoro mused to no one and everyone as she twisted the blade again, "Oops…"

"Koko…" Kira warned, "Don't send him into shock...I'm not done with him yet."

"I've told you everything I know!"

"No you haven't." Gaara stated glaring at him, "Why take the children?"

"She didn't really say…something about controlling them like her mother never could! She's planning to put the curse seal on all of them at the same time!" he stated as Kokoro pulled away from him knowing he couldn't go anywhere pinned to the rock like he was.

"When?" another voice asked and Kira turned to see Tora walking up covered in dirt and blood.

"She didn't say exactly when, only soon." He stated and she reached out and slammed his head into the rock, "Tomorrow! I swear!"

"Tora!" Kira scolded and the woman looked back at her and bowed in apology, "I will speak with you later! Go!"

"Yes, Kira-sama." She stated and walked off as Hikaru looked at her then back at his sister.

"Suzu!" Kira called and an ANBU appeared next to her, "Return to Suna and inform the Council and Baki of the leak. Take Sanaye Ruri in for questioning. He can start without us if need be."

"I think Interrogation Room 30A will suit Baki's needs." Gaara stated and the ANBU looked at him before bowing and disappearing and Gaara asked the man one last question, "Where is she holding them?"

The man looked at him as he felt a small tendril of sand creep up his leg.

"I won't ask again," Gaara asked again, slowly squeezing the sand around the man's leg, "Where?"

They walked into the small village just south of their target to see streets lined with dark quiet houses. Kankuro looked around at the surroundings, keeping an eye open even though he knew Gaara and Kira had the ANBU positioned all around them. Naruto walked on normally as he talked to Lee. Kiba and Akamaru kept an eye out too, as well as two noses and four ears. Kira's brother walked on exuding an almost apathetic air that even the Uchiha himself would have been jealous of while his little sister walked slowly to the side playing with the straps on her arm guard idly. Neji was surveying the area as well, Byakugan activated, while Hinata walked shyly behind Kira's adopted brother. The female Jinchuuriki herself walked beside the red haired Kazekage silently. A door creaked open up ahead and Gaara stopped as an elderly man walked out leaning on a cane to glare at them.

"We need no trouble with ninja here." He said, voice shaking from age rather than fear.

"We wish you none." Kira stated as she bowed low in respect, "We are here to ask you one question only."

"Will you go if I answer?" he asked.

"Yes." Gaara stated and the man looked at him strangely.

"Must be a big question if the Kazekage is here. Yeah, I know who you are. Ask."

"How many of your children have been taken?" Tora asked and the man stared at them shocked.

"Children are disappearing from villages all across the Allied Nations...we're looking for them before any more are taken, and your streets are very quiet for such a beautiful day." Kira stated and the old man nodded and sighed as he looked at the streets, "How many?"

"All of them." A woman stated as she came out of the same house the man did, tightly holding a small patched blanket, "Every last one…even the ones that couldn't even walk. They took my daughter two days ago. She's only two. She never goes anywhere with out her blanket but I found it in the street…she never goes anywhere without it, ever."

Kokoro walked up to her and looked in her eyes as she gently pushed her palm against the woman's forehead. She pulled out a small case from her tool kit and rummaged around in it before pulling out a small packet and handing it to her.

"Listen to me. You need to sleep. Make tea with this before you go to bed. It will help." She stated pressing the packet into her hands as the woman shook her head sobbing.

"I can't sleep knowing she's out there without her blanket…it's like I can hear her crying for it." the woman stated and gripped the blanket tighter and Kokoro looked at her sympathetically.

"Drink the tea…it will help with that. You need to sleep for your daughter."

"But…but who's going to give her…" the woman went on, her eyes looking around feverishly.

"I will if you promise to get some sleep." Kokoro stated reaching for the blanket and the woman looked at her, "I promise to give it to her as soon as I see her…just tell me what she looks like and her name."

"Nagisa…her name is Nagisa. She has grey blue eyes…like the sea…and hair like the sand." The woman stated blinking at her tears and looked at the little blanket in her shaking hands, "This is her blanket…she calls it Oki. It's her favorite thing in the whole world…I have to sneak it away at night to patch it up when she rips it or she cries. Her eyes get a dark bluish grey when she cries…just like the water during a storm."

"I will find her for you, Okaa-san." Kokoro stated and the woman handed her the blanket, "I promise."

"Please bring her back…" the woman whispered, "She's all I have."

"I will…now go get some rest. Your daughter needs you to be strong for her so you can hug her when she gets back. You need to rest so you can tell her how much you missed her."

The woman nodded as an elderly woman led her back inside and Kokoro walked back towards her siblings. Kankuro watched her as she looked at the blanket before storing it away. She looked at him when she noticed him.

"Why did you do that?" he asked out of curiosity.

"Because I've always wanted a mother like that." She stated as Kira and Gaara talked to the elderly man and Hikaru pulled her in for a hug.

"We'll find her, Koko-chan." He stated as the two Jinchuuriki lovers walked back over, "Well?"

"It happened over the course of three days. There are sixteen children missing from the village. Nine are four years old or more but no older than twelve. Four are two to four years old and three are barely toddlers." Kira stated sighing sadly and Gaara looked at her, worry in his sea green eyes as he pulled her in to comfort her, "Thank you, Gaara-kun."

"We'll find them Ume-chan. I promise." He stated rubbing her back, "Every last one."

Hikaru stared at the man comforting his sister. Their eyes met and Hikaru nodded, silently thanking the red haired Kazekage for taking care of his sister. He looked over at the others as they talked to the parents. They were an odd assortment but he could feel through their chakra that they all meant well. His eyes drifted to Naruto as the blonde talked to a couple and realized that he owed Naruto an apology.

"You do." Kira stated as she felt what her twin did, "All of them."

"I know." He stated back and sighed, "Later. First we need to get a list of the missing children. The sooner the better."

"I agree." Gaara stated and signaled an ANBU down from their hiding spot, "Make contact with Squad 12. Give them the orders to scout the location and report back on any suspicious activity regarding the children. They are not to make any move for rescue until we get there."

"Unless there is imminent danger to the children." Kira stated and Gaara nodded, "I want a report on the size of the enemy's force as soon as possible. Go."

"Yes, Kage no Kage-sama, Kazekage-sama." The ANBU stated and turned to go and nodded at Tora as their eyes met, knowing what she wanted.

"Tora…we need to talk." Kira stated and the woman nodded as she walked away.

Kira looked at her as she stared out at the sea blankly. Kira could tell she hadn't slept at all since her sister was taken. Hikaru looked at her as the sea breeze caught her hair, wrapping it around her. He knew that look all to well and looked at his sister questioningly.

"Her youngest sister is among the abducted…and her twin sister is in the hospital because she attempted to rescue the little girl. She's blaming herself for it. She needs to stop."

"I know…let me." Hikaru stated, "I can be more of a friend than you can at the moment…you're still the disciplinary figure."

Kira nodded at him as he walked over to the grieving woman. She looked over to Naruto as he and Hinata talked to another couple.

"Please help us." The man asked of them as his wife stared at the sea silently hugging herself tightly and Kira closed her eyes.

"Why do the people of Hoshiyama cause so much pain?" she asked to no one in particular.

"_**Your father died. He was the soul of the village and the driving goodness in it. When he died…so did the village's soul and all sense of right and wrong. The villagers gave up on peace and hope, because that died with him too,**_" She heard Kaminari answer sadly before disappearing again and Kira nodded wishing that there was some way to change it and heard Kaminari speak again, stating one simple thing, "_**You are Daichi's daughter.**_"

As the day went on they gathered all the information they could until late in the evening when the ANBU they sent came back with a member of Squad 12.

"Report." Gaara stated and they bowed.

"The enemy is located in a cliff area to the north, Gaara-sama. It's not a large force, only twenty four last we counted, a small group for an operation this big. Their leader is a kunoichi that seems to be able to control minds to some extent with a curse seal. From the information we've gained so far it seems that she is planning to use the technique on the children sometime tomorrow night when the tide comes in again. It's not far away." The woman stated bowing before Kira who nodded.

"Where are the children kept?" she asked.

"They are kept in a small group of caves above the tide line. They seem to be interconnected. There are about seventy three children held hostage if not more, Kira-sama." The other one stated and the two Sand Kages nodded as a usually noisy blonde walked over.

"When do we move?" he asked.

"First thing in the morning." Kira stated and everyone looked at her until her siblings spoke up.

"It's the best course of action." Hikaru stated, "It allows a night to recover from earlier as well as give us time to form some kind of plan other than just charging in there like an idiot."

"That and it seems this technique must be used at night." Kokoro stated as she stared at two little things of poison, "The incident fourteen years ago happened in the middle of the night and her daughter is going to implement it tomorrow night."

"Since it's a curse seal involving the eyes it's most likely that executing it in the middle of the day greatly weakens it. If you two had come upon us in the night the curse would have been much harder to defeat." Neji stated as he walked up to them and they nodded.

"Yeah, about that…sorry I tried to kill you." Hikaru stated to him.

"It happens." The Hyuga stated and walked off.

"Nii-chan?"

"Yes?" Hikaru and Naruto both responded and looked at each other as Kira laughed.

"Hikaru-nii-chan then. Could you please continue to debrief these two?" Kira stated and pointed to the ANBU who looked at her, "He's a better tactician than I am so tell him what you told us and help him work on a plan. Naruto-nii-chan could you please stay with Gaara-kun and I while we…settle some things with our bijuu?"

Hikaru nodded and walked off with the ANBU as Naruto smiled at them and they walked off away from the village to a separate part of the shoreline and summoned the two bijuu in question.

Naruto watched as the two hosts glared at the two demons. Kira stood, her hands on her hips as the ocean breeze caught her purple hair, and looked at Kaminari, ice blue kimono fluttering in the breeze as it caught her slightly darker purple hair as she gazed back calmly with two icy violet eyes at her host. Gaara stood next to his lover with his arms crossed over his chest, black rimmed viridian eyes glaring past blood red hair at the sand haired Shukaku, his own black rimmed gold eyes staring back confidently.

"_**And so it begins…**_" Naruto heard the Kyuubi mutter.

"You two…" Gaara began, "Talk."

"About what?" Shukaku asked grinning, "She's my mate…I'm hers. End of story."

"No, not end of story." Kira stated, "Beginning of story. I know we're not going to get every single answer tonight, but it's a start."

"Exactly, now how are you two here like this?" Gaara asked and Kaminari looked at him.

"It is possible only after a blood sacrifice is made on a key to your seal." She stated and continued, "One of the Bijuu's making not the one who performed the sealing ritual. We are still bound inside of you and therefore cannot just leave to go about our own business. These forms you see us in are a result of that."

"Keep going." Kira stated.

"When we are in the Spirit Realm this is what we look like, we're human in form not huge and beast-like as you see us when you enter your subconscious. We appear like _this_ because the key is made using seals and inscriptions from the Spirit Realm. In this state we are somewhat weaker than we would be if you just let us out and yet somewhat stronger. We have a bit more control over our bloodlust in this state, but don't have that same raw power that comes from the full transformation…it's more refined and toned down." Kaminari continued.

"That and it's a little easier to get around since we're not hundreds of feet tall." Shukaku added nodding and grinned, "Anything else, kid?"

"How are you two mates and who is trying to take Kaminari from you?" Gaara asked and Shukaku twitched.

"Long sad story, kid, but to make it short: She wandered around met evil being going by the name of Akujin, evil being came onto her, she rejected him, he attacked her, I heroically saved her because I'm just chivalrous like that, she fell for me-"

"You fell for me first." Kaminari stated and he rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. We fell for _each other_, fought against each other, and realized that although we like kicking each other's asses that we just can't stay away from each other, did it for three days straight…yeah, I've got that kind of stamina-Ow!" Shukaku yelled after Kaminari hit him in the head and glared at him, "Fine, no sordid bed room details…although I am damn proud of getting someone as gorgeous as you are in my bed, Kisai."

He grinned at her and she glared at him more before giving up and smiling at him as she shook her head blushing ever so slightly.

"Kisai?" Kira asked confused.

"It's what he calls me…it's an old archaic form of queen or empress," Kaminari admitted and Shukaku nodded before continuing.

"Anyway, I marked her first, she marked me next, evil being found out, waged war on us, big huge bloody battles, fighting between the two of us for one reason or another, more sordid bedroom scenes, more battles with evil bastard, we were losing, I sent her off somewhere to protect her, got shoved inside a teapot with a deranged priest in this world, ended up in Suna, got shoved in two other people's heads and then his." Shukaku finished and took a breath, "Got all that?"

"You do realize I'm going to want a more detailed explanation later?" Gaara asked and Shukaku nodded, "Why did you mention my mother earlier?"

"Because she made me promise not to let you get hurt or hurt you, and do pretty much everything you said. Of course I may have broken the rules a few times here and there…it's just my nature." Shukaku stated and Gaara looked at him shocked, "What? Your mom loved you, you idiot. She hated the village and your father not you. Your father was just too much of a fool to realize that she was the best thing that ever happened to him and your uncle was a gullible and delusional bastard. Karura loved three things more than anything else: Your brother, your sister, and you. She wasn't the strongest kunoichi ever but if something threatened her kids she'd rip it to shreds in a heart beat. By the time she found out about your father's plan she was almost due and couldn't do anything about it."

"A lot of people would still be alive if you ever told me that." Gaara stated and Shukaku glared at him.

"Yashamaru fooled me too, kid. I thought he could save me the embarrassment of getting all soft and mushy just to tell you that your mommy loved you. After he tried to kill you, you wouldn't have believed me anyway…that and I loved messing with your head and getting you to kill people. I am a bloodthirsty demon after all." The demon admitted, "Makes me wonder how in the world your mother ever trusted me to do the 'right thing'. She was an interesting woman to say the least."

"She probably discovered the same thing I did." Kaminari stated, "That underneath everything you actually do have a heart."

"Ok..." Kira stated and looked at them, "Why did you never tell us that you are mates…or even _had_ mates?"

"For your own protection." Kaminari stated shrugging, "The less you knew about our past, the better. I didn't really want to unload all of this on your already heavy shoulders."

"Then why now?" Gaara asked.

"We can't really hide it anymore." Shukaku stated, "Besides, you were bound to find out sooner or later. You two are mates just like we are."

Kira and Gaara glared at them, both equally afraid to ask this next question.

"Tell us then: Do you have anything to do with that?" Kira asked looking Kaminari in the eyes, "Do you?"

"I'm afraid of the answer…but I need to know if I love her for the right reasons. Not because you toyed with my head to make me just so you could be with Kaminari," Gaara stated as he looked at Shukaku, "You know better than anyone how much I love it when people lie to me."

The two Bijuu sighed as they looked down. Naruto watched from the side as he felt the Kyuubi grin in his head and speak.

"_**This should be interesting…**_"

"_Shut up._" Naruto told the demon as he watched his friends wait for an answer they really didn't want and Kaminari looked up at them.

"We may have…pushed you a…a _little_." The purple haired female stated and Shukaku nodded.

"It was there anyway...it was bound to happen eventually. We just kinda gave you each a little…nudge out the door." He stated and smiled innocently and Gaara glared at him trying to remain calm as Kira spoke.

"I want a straight yes or no answer." Kira stated and pointed to Gaara, "Did you or did you not make me love him?"

Kaminari looked her in the eyes as everything seemed to go silent. Kira stared back waiting for, and dreading, the answer unsure of sure how she was going to react, but still needing to know. As Kaminari walked up to her and looked at her she saw only the truth in her icy violet eyes behind a veil of sadness.

"Kira…you are like…a daughter to me. I've raised you the best I can in my own way. I know I may not be the best mother figure in the world but you needed one and I promised your father that I would take care of you. At first I only took care of you because of that promise but as you grew you became more like the daughter I will never have. I know I've caused you pain. I know that some of the blood on your hands is because of my own bloodlust and loneliness. I've lied to you about it…but I won't lie to you anymore and tell you that I pushed you to come to Suna on a whim. I didn't know exactly where Shukaku was but I knew he was somewhere to the South so I pushed you in that direction." Kaminari stated looking at her as she placed her hands gently on Kira's shoulders, "However, I did not know he had a host. I won't deny that I thought about making you want him when I first saw him, but the truth is that I could feel something connect between you two as soon as Gaara first picked you up. Even before that I felt it trying reaching out as he watched you fight."

"You haven't given me a straight answer yet." Kira stated glaring.

"The answer is: No, we didn't make you love each other. We only made you realize that you did faster. You two have a bond like Shukaku and I do…a deep karmic bond that won't let you go. I've tried running from it, hiding from it, and fighting it but I can't. The fact that you two love each other is a gift for the two of us. It allows us to be near each other."

"Why did you push us, then?" Gaara asked of her, "If it was going to happen anyway why not wait? Why not let us figure it out on our own?"

"Because you are stubborn and need to be forced to believe in things you think are stupid." Naruto stated as he sat on a rock watching and Shukaku laughed.

"I like him." Shukaku stated, "He's right and he should know. He's the one that has kicked your ass in gear more than once. I suppose this time I decided to do it myself. Kaminari is right. We didn't make you love each other. I'm selfish and an evil bastard but I'm not _that_ selfish. I'm just really impatient. I've waited for centuries to see my Kisai again so…can you _really_ blame me for wanting you to quickly realize that that woman next to you was _made_ for you?"

"No, but I want to." Gaara grumbled and stole a glance at Kira who was staring at Kaminari and he sighed, "So…I…"

"Yes, kid, you love her for all the right reasons." Shukaku stated and a perverted grin spread across his face before Kaminari caught it and smacked him, "Well…I was going to say something else, but I'll just shut up about that now or I won't get any ever again."

Gaara chuckled a little and looked at Kira who was shaking her head as Kaminari did. He allowed himself to relax a little, feeling almost content with the knowledge that they belonged to each other because they chose to be. He looked at the two demons and nodded before he spoke.

"I suppose that's it for now then."

"For now, Gaara." Kaminari stated smiling softly, "Shukaku and I can't keep this up much longer anyway. It takes a lot of energy and we need to rest."

"This isn't over." Kira stated and they nodded.

"We know, but for now you're going to have to deal with it." Shukaku stated and performed the hand seal sending him back into Gaara's mind.

"What do you see in him?" Kira asked Kaminari and the demon laughed.

"I ask myself that all the time, Kira, and I have learned that you cannot help who you fall in love with. He's a selfish, perverted, egotistical, homicidal idiot, and yet I still love him. Love is a strange and cruel thing. Much crueler than any demon could ever hope to be…it fills you with joy and tears you to shreds all at the same time…yet everyone and everything craves it in some way," Kaminari stated and performed her own hand seal and disappeared.

"Let's get back to the others then." Kira stated.

"Yeah, I'm hungry." Naruto stated and hopped down off of his rock to walk with them, "Why did you want me here in the first place?"

"In case something happened." Kira stated and Gaara nodded, "And you're the brother that understands this aspect of my life more."

Naruto smiled his usual toothy smile as they walked back. Kira just shook her head and laughed as her fingers reached for Gaara's and entwined with them as they walked. The sand master allowed a small smile to form as he squeezed her hand.

Kokoro walked next to her brother as she stared at Kira. Even though she had prayed and dreamed of the day she would see her big sister again it still felt strange…almost surreal. She looked her sister over noticing the changes since they last saw each other. She was a little fuller in the hips and chest than Kokoro remembered and she imagined that those developments must have caused her big sister no end of trouble. She found herself to be correct as she notice that Kira had gained a few new scars. The ones around her wrists made Kokoro wince slightly. They were faint since Kira had always healed fast and scarred little, but just the thought of what could possibly cause them made her hurt for her big sister.

There were more changes Kokoro noticed, but one stood out the most: Kira's over all bearing and presence. She carried herself differently. Kira carried herself more confidently. Kokoro decided and concluded that over all her sister was happy for once. She knew her sister wasn't _completely_ happy, and wouldn't be until they brought back the children, but there was an inner peace that Kokoro sensed in her big sister that made her smile.

She smiled at the knowledge that her big sister had found freedom in belonging to someone. As much as she didn't like thinking that Kira _belonged_ to the red head, Kokoro accepted that her sister liked it that way because the red head belonged to her in the same way. She glanced over at her brother as he studied Kira's lover, probably gauging his strength or something that Hikaru was prone to do, and decided to study the man herself.

"_Why are they staring at me?_"

"_They're staring at you because they're evaluating you, Gaara-kun_." Kira answered back as she glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes and he looked back.

"_Why?_" he asked again unsure of how to deal with his lover's family.

"_You're my lover; the man that 'conquered' me. That alone makes you the most interesting thing in the universe to them._"

"_Hn._" He responded and she laughed a little.

"Hey, Gaara-nii-san?" Kokoro asked and he stopped and looked at her strangely, "What? You're stuck with my sister now so I might as well as start calling you brother. That also means that Naruto is my Nii-chan since if he's Kira's Nii-chan, he's my Nii-chan! Right, Hikaru-nii-chan?"

"I suppose so. If I put up with you I can put up with Naruto." Hikaru stated and Kokoro glared at him.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked and he shrugged as she growled at him before returning to her question, "So…Gaara-nii-san?

"Ok…what?" he asked as Kira silently laughed.

"Why do you carry that thing around on your back?" she asked and he told her, explaining it just like he had with Kira, "Ok. W-…never mind. I'm not going to ask perverted questions, we've got a mission to do."

"Who _are_ you?" Kira asked her sister and Hikaru started laughing as Kokoro glared at her sister.

"Tsukino Kokoro, little sister of Tsukino Hikaru and Tsukino Kira, presumed deceased Jonin kunoichi formerly of Hoshiyamagakure, and-"

"One dangerous little viper." Kankuro added from the other side of Gaara and Kokoro smirked at him until they crossed over the ridge and saw the encampment below them and he saw her eyes darken into a deep brown and they saw a figure looking at them.

"So much for surprising her." Hikaru stated as they looked out on a teenage girl crouching on top of the cliff in front of them.

Kira looked at her and saw the spitting image of the woman from years ago. They shared the same pale blond hair and the same smile. The only thing different was the age and the eyes. She had blue green luminescent eyes where her mother had green. The ocean breeze wrapped around them, and as a long strand of her pale blonde hair came loose and fluttered in the breeze Kira realized that she knew this person

"I knew you'd come, Kira-chan."

**A/N: Nothing to say other than: The next chapter is already up, go read it THEN R&R!**


	23. Chapter 22: Innocence

Chapter 22: Innocence

"Yuriko…it's been a long time." Kira stated and narrowed her eyes at the young woman.

"Yuriko? Is that really her? She looks so different…" Kokoro asked and stared as Hikaru's eyes widened as he recognized her too.

"It is her…little Yuriko's not so little anymore."

The woman only smiled more as she stood up and pulled out a pair of katana from the green robe she was wearing. Kira pulled out her own as she spoke to Gaara through their bond.

"_Gaara-kun, no matter what happens get the kids out of here. I'll take care of her._" He nodded and Yuriko smiled.

"So it's true…Kira-chan and the Kazekage are a cute little couple. Your mother won't be pleased when she finds out." The girl stated as the others slowly backed away.

"She was never really pleased with anything I did; besides…I don't really give a damn." Kira stated as the wind caught her hair, "Why are you doing this?"

"I'm trying to finish my mother's work, Kira-chan…trying to surpass her and I have. She never actually thought to take the children and raise them to be her own personal army. It's a lot of work but I'm sure the results will be well worth it…it's already brought me you." She stated and flickered to behind Kira and whispered in her ear, "That's almost worth all the trouble in itself…goodbye Kira-chan."

Kira smiled as the young woman drove the katana into her while throwing the other one into Gaara and they disappeared in a puff smoke as the others did too. Yuriko's eye widened in shock as they all disappeared before she realized what happened and smiled. She turned around to see Kira, Gaara, and Naruto standing on the cliff above her looking down at her.

"You didn't really think it would be that easy did you, Yuriko-_chan_?" Kira asked and pulled out her katana as the young woman heard the explosions below her.

"You sneaky bitch…distracting me so they could slip past." The pale blonde woman stated as she picked up her other sword and Naruto and Gaara flickered away to join their comrades down below as planned, "I guess that just leaves you and me, Kira-chan…just like the good old days."

"They were never good." Kira stated and jumped at Yuriko as she jumped at Kira.

Their blades met in a flurry of slices and blocks knocking each other back. Kira pushed off of the cliff wall as she came against it as Yuriko jumped backwards towards the other battle smiling. The young purple haired Jinchuuriki chased after her, sliding down the cliff face and she saw a stream of sand form below her making a path to Yuriko and jumped to it. She ran down it, following it as it moved to where her opponent jumped to and jumped from it as it flowed away to form a dome over a small group of children. Yuriko met her mid air blade to blade and smiled at Kira with a slightly insane twist to her lips.

"You and I were always so well matched, Kira-chan." The blonde stated as she brought down a katana that Kira blocked as her other one sliced up at Yuriko who blocked it, "Even the Reikage agreed."

Kira brought her leg up into the young woman's gut knocking her back towards the cliff face. She twisted before she hit it and kicked off as Kira landed on a large outcropping of rock, crouching down as she readied her katana for whatever the blonde pulled out next.

"Still stronger than me though…" Yuriko stated and flickered out of view.

"Perhaps, but you always were faster than me." Kira stated as the blonde flickered behind her again to bring down her katana into Kira's back but was blocked by Kira's own blades as she turned around the last second, "But you were always _so_ predictable."

"Oh really?" the teal eyed blonde asked smiling as she disappeared in a puff of smoke just as Kira did before and Kira spun around only to have her opponent's foot hit her alongside the head knocking her down into the shore line below.

Naruto looked over at the sound to see his adopted sister crash into the waves of the shoreline but had no time to help her as he saw the ANBU member known as Tora come crashing towards him and Hikaru who was fighting with him at his back. Hikaru caught her before she hit the cliff wall behind them and set her down.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," said ANBU stated and pulled out a kunai from her tool pack as she picked up her katana.

Tora threw it at the man that hit her as she charged back at him and brought her blade down hard into his breaking it. She knocked him down and used her weight to crouch on him as she slowly pulled her sister's necklace from his pocket.

"So you're the one that put Amaya-nee-chan in the hospital. Tell me then…" she said and pushed her mask off so she could look into his eyes, "Are you ready to die?"

Hikaru tossed a shuriken at the man coming at Tora's back as she drove her katana through her prisoner's neck then looked over as he saw Kira stand up in the waves.

She looked up at the pale blonde looking down at her with luminescent teal eyes and a sadistic smile curling on her face. Kira gripped her katana as the water dripped off of her and jumped up again towards Yuriko. The crazed woman herself leapt down performing hand seals for an earth style jutsu that rained boulders down onto the protective dome Gaara had erected. Kira diverted her path and landed on the dome performing her own hand seals.

"Bitch." Kira spat as the boulders hurled towards her and she slammed her hands down into the dome reinforcing it with a thick layer of crystal before knocking away what rocks she could as she saw Gaara's sand attempt the same.

Once it was clear Kira called a squad of ANBU over to her.

"Get the kids out of here as fast as you can. It's getting too dangerous. Take them to a safe location and tell them to stay put!" Kira stated as she brought up a wall of crystal to shield them from an exploding kunai, "Go! Now!"

"Yes, ma'am," they stated turned to help the children as Naruto dropped in to help them.

Kira jumped onto the crystal wall and saw Yuriko smiling at her as Kokoro pulled down a man with her chain whip into the path of Kiba and Akamaru's attack. She pulled out another chain from her pack and used it to swing another into the path of Kankuro and his Sasori puppet.

Kira jumped at Yuriko as the young woman leapt back up into the cliffs. In the back of her mind Kira knew she was trying to lead her into a trap. She tried to stop her jump as she saw the kunai flying at her and explode. Her eyes shut out of instinct as she felt a pair of arms pull her down while she heard sand rush in front of her. She opened her eyes to see Hikaru shielding her as Gaara stood in front of both of them with his sand shield up.

Hikaru looked up after realizing he didn't feel anything and saw the red haired Kazekage in front of them scowling as sand formed a protective shield in front of all three of them. He saw Kira smile at the Kazekage as he looked back at the two twins. Hikaru saw something flash in those green eyes he couldn't explain before they looked forward again as the shield fell to reveal a rather well dressed bulky man standing a few feet in front of them.

"Ryohei Yuuji." The man introduced himself as he bowed dramatically, "You are Sabaku no Gaara. Since you seem intent on protecting Tsukino Kira I'm afraid to inform you that you must die."

"I don't think so." Gaara stated as his sand shot out at the man wrapping around him.

He broke free and ran at Gaara only to run into Hikaru's fist as it came crashing into his face sending him flying back into the cliff face. Hikaru looked at Gaara as the man stood up and Kira ran after the pale blonde kunoichi behind all of this. Gaara nodded at Kira's brother as he gripped his katana two handed.

"Tsukino Hikaru…I thought you were dead." The bounty hunter stated as he looked at Kira's brother who only grinned.

"You know how it is…you just can't find good assassins these days." Hikaru stated and the man tossed another exploding kunai at him only to have it hit a wall of sand and Hikaru nodded back at Gaara, "Let's see how he likes things exploding, shall we?"

Gaara nodded and pulled up large chunks of hardened sand as Hikaru started performing hand seals at a rapid rate after jamming his sword into the ground in front of him. When he finished he breathed in deeply.

"Fire Release: Dragon Flame Bomb!" he stated before blowing out a white hot stream of fire that engulfed the chunks of sand Gaara threw at the bounty hunter and they exploded on impact.

"He's not dead yet." Gaara stated as he looked out towards where they last saw Ryohei.

"Nope…but where is he?" Hikaru asked as he picked up his sword again and immediately blocked the kunai wielded by the man they were looking for, "Good, now we can kill him."

Kokoro heard the sound of metal on metal as she pulled a senbon from her hair and threw it at the neck of the man running at Kankuro's back. He stopped no more than four feet from the puppet master and collapsed, Kokoro's poison coursing through his veins immobilizing him. Kankuro looked down at him as Kokoro pulled the senbon out and finished him off. She looked up at him as they heard an explosion.

"Sounds like Hikaru and my newest brother are getting along well." She stated and they heard a scream.

"That takes care of the bounty hunter. Here comes another. You want him?"

"Nah…too short for me," she stated and grinned at him as he chuckled while using his puppet to take down the man.

"Kira-chan you know I'm faster than you are! You said it yourself!" Yuriko shouted at the female Jinchuuriki running after her.

"I know I did, but speed isn't everything!" Kira stated and jumped to the side and vaulted off of a rock propelling her towards her opponent who jumped to meet her blade to blade, "No matter what I'm still going to try to stop you! Even if you are faster than me!"

"Why? It's pointless." the blonde asked as they pushed away from each other and she disappeared into a cave.

Kira chased after her, following the path up as she dodged the kunai and shuriken sent her way until they stopped. She reached a fork in the path and stopped to listen. She heard a scuffling and a soft muffled scream to the right and ran as fast as she could. The path led to the top of the cliff. When Kira appeared out of the cave she saw Yuriko with her back towards her and ran at her.

"_REINA_!!! LET ME GO!" Tora screamed from below as she was held back by Hikaru and Kira stopped.

Yuriko turned to face her, holding a terror stricken little girl out over the edge of the cliff smiling evilly. Her blue green eyes practically glowed with the knowledge that Kira was now at her mercy.

"It's time to make a choice, Kira-chan: Me or the girl? I'm not stupid…I know that I'm outnumbered and overpowered here. My forces are losing and soon enough it will be all of you against one of me...so choose. Let me go to save the girl…or let her fall to kill me." Yuriko stated as the wind caught her hair and twisted it around her face.

Kira looked at the little girl. She saw the fear in her bright brown eyes as she gripped Yuriko's arm desperately.

"Let her go, Yuriko. She has done nothing to you…let her go. Your fight is with me." Kira stated and took a step forward setting down her katana but stopped when Yuriko held Reina out farther and shook her head.

"No…my fight is with Hoshiyama. That damned village took my mother away and killed my father. I was forced to live with the family of the woman that ruined my childhood…that took everything away from me. You should know how that feels Kira-chan. She did it to you too." Yuriko stated staring Kira in the eyes, "My fight with you is only because you are trying to stop me from avenging my mother and father when you should be trying to help me! I know we can succeed if you help me! Please, Kira-chan?"

"No." Kira stated shaking her head, "No, Yuriko. It can't be."

"Why not?!" the young woman asked, glaring at the Jinchuuriki before her, "You of all people should want this! That village took your life away! It sold you to a _demon_ for power! It hated you your entire life! Not once did anyone in that village show you the love and respect that you deserved! You were the most talented kunoichi that Hoshiyama ever produced and they hated you! Your own mother had you tortured in the bowls of the mountain! She tore your childhood from you and ripped it to shreds in front of your very eyes! She ruined your brother and sister's lives! She tried to kill them! You owe _nothing_ to Hoshiyama, Kira-chan! You should hate them more than _I_ do!"

"You're right. I do hate Hoshiyama." Kira stated as she looked at the young woman that was once the closest thing to a friend she had ever had, "I hate them with every fiber of my being. I would give so much to be able to tear down the village brick by bloody brick and burn it to the ground. I would give so much to just demolish the whole village with every man, woman, and child in it…"

"Then help me, Kira-chan." Yuriko stated and Kira looked at the little girl dangling over a cliff and saw the fear and sadness in her eyes and shook her head, "But you just said you wanted to!"

"I do…and I would if I thought it would change anything, but the truth is that if I destroy the village or let you do it I'd only be continuing the cycle. I would make orphans of so many other children…condemning them to the same life you and I led. I want to stop that, Yuriko. I want that…_more_ than I hate Hoshiyama." Kira stated and the blonde shook her head.

"You're lying! I _know_ you! I know your pain! I know your hate!"

"Not anymore." Kira stated to the young woman.

"What changed then?" she asked the young leader.

"I did. I discovered things that by your way of thinking should make me hate Hoshiyama more. I found out that the Reikage murdered my father to seal the Juubi inside me. He died trying to _protect_ Hikaru, me, and all the children of that village. He died trying to protect _the village_ from a murderous, power hungry woman. I might hate Hoshiyama but if I destroy it or let you then I am throwing _everything_ that my father stood for in life away." Kira stated to the young woman as she remembered what Kaminari told her of her father, "I will honor the memory of Hoshiyama's Sandaime Reikage Tsukino Daichi by fighting for the future of his village. I will honor my father's memory by fighting for the future of _my_ village…my _home_."

"Why? What allegiance do you hold Sunagakure? How is it any more your home than anywhere else you've been?"

"I am the Kage no Kage of the village now, Yuriko. I have a responsibility to the next generation to make their future as bright and as safe as possible. It is my home because I have a _family_ now. I have a family in the shinobi of Sunagakure _and_ Konohagakure and I will die protecting them if it ensures their happiness and safety." Kira stated as she looked hard at the young woman in front of her.

"That should only make you want to help me! You know the Reikage will come for you sooner or later and bring all the strongest and most terrible Hoshiyama has to offer!" Yuriko yelled at her as she glared back at Kira, "You can't protect them both!"

"I have to _try_. I am a daughter of the Hoshiyamagakure that my father fought and _died_ for and I will fight to bring it back. I don't know how but I will find a way to make sure that my father's legacy goes on in the children of that village. I will find a way that does not involve killing everyone that ever hurt me, that ever teased me, or that hates me." Kira said to the teal eyed woman in front of her, "Can't you see? If you go on with this plan of yours and try to destroy Hoshiyama you'll just make it worse. Please, Yuriko-chan…let the girl go and help _me_."

"No." the blonde stated as she glared at Kira, "Hoshiyama _can't_ be saved…your father's dream is dead…and you're a fool to think otherwise. They are blind to anything but force. With or without your help I will avenge my family and destroy everyone that ever hurt them and I will carve their names into every one that ever forgot about me, my father, or my mother. Now choose! Me or her?!"

Kira sighed sadly and looked at the little black haired girl staring back at her as she sent an idea down to her mate who was watching and listening to the exchange.

"Reina-chan…you remember what Kira-sama and Gaara-sama promised you right?" Kira asked the little girl and she nodded and swallowed.

"Yes, Kiwa-sama, I wemember." The little girl answered as she held onto Yuriko's arm as Kira reached into her hair.

"Try anything and I'll drop her and come after you. Try anything and you will be sentencing her to her death." Yuriko threatened and the little girl glared at her.

"Nah uh! Kiwa-sama would never let that happen!" the child protested and Yuriko looked at her as Kira stopped and smiled at the little girl.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because I made a promise." Kira whispered.

"Because Kiwa-sama pwomised me she wouldn't hurt me! Not ever! She pwomised she and Gaawa-sama would pwotect me!" the little girl yelled.

"And you believe her?"

"Yes!" the child stated indignantly and Yuriko laughed, not noticing Kira pull a thin kunai from her hair and tie a string to it.

"Why do you believe her?" the blonde asked.

"Because she's Kiwa-sama! She's the Kage no Kage! Kiwa-sama and Gaawa-sama would never lie to me because Towa-tan and Maya-tan told me they wouldn't! They told me Kiwa-sama and Gaawa-sama would never lie to me because they love me and all the little kids vewy much you…you…bad, bad lady!" the child screamed and kicked her captor in the side causing Yuriko to drop her and she screamed as Kira threw the kunai.

The last thing Reina saw of them was the blonde woman reaching for her throat as something red sprayed from her. Then all she saw was the side of the cliff rushing by her.

Tora watched in horror as her sister fell from the cliff and screamed as she pushed against Kira's brother until she saw someone already running towards the cliff.

Akamaru and Kiba ran for the cliff as soon as they heard Gaara relay Kira's message to Naruto, something inside them switching. Kiba ran along the cliff, followed by Akamaru and jumped for the girl. He was just short of reaching her when he felt Akamaru push into him propelling him enough to grab her and pull her into him. He turned so his back was to the water as they fell. He closed his eyes and prayed until he felt something wrap around them and pull them to safety. He opened his eyes to see sand and closed them again until it was completely gone.

"You ok, pup?" he asked of the little girl clinging to his jacket and felt her nod before he heard the sound of someone trying to run towards them.

Tora wanted to run but couldn't, her ankle hurt too much to. When she felt someone pull her onto his back she almost kicked him until she realized it was Kira's brother.

"Let me help, I know you want to see her so don't…kick me." He stated as he took her over to her little sister and set her down.

"Mai-tan!" the little girl yelled and ran to hug her sister as Hikaru looked down at her.

"Mai?" he asked and she nodded, blushing slightly from her sister's little slip up.

"Kinkou Maika by birth…I prefer Tora though." She stated as she hugged her sister.

"It suits you." The man stated before he spotted his sister walking towards them and ran to her.

"Towa-tan?"

"Yes?"

"Is the bad lady gone? Is she gone now Kiwa-sama?" the little girl asked and Tora saw two shadows stand over them and looked up to see Kira and Gaara walking past.

"Yes, sweetie…the bad lady is gone now." Kira stated sadly and kneeled down, "Are you alright?"

"Uh huh…that guy saved me." She stated pointing to Kiba, "The doggy too! And Gaawa-sama helped too!"

She stood up and tugged on Gaara's coat as he talked to an ANBU member. He kneeled down and she hugged him.

"Thank you, Gaawa-sama. You're the gweatest Kazekage ever." She stated and the sand master chuckled lightly before she went to hug Kira, "Thank you, Kiwa-sama. You're the gweatest Kage no Kage ever and I wanna be just like you when I gwo up."

"Why?" Naruto asked as he walked over and bent over to stare at the little girl and she blushed, making Kira and Gaara laugh a little.

"Because Kiwa-sama gets to have Gaawa-sama all to hersewf and she gets to hang out wif you, Nawuto-sama." She stated and blushed more and Naruto laughed a little as Hinata giggled softly until Reina worked up her courage again and hugged Naruto, "Thank you Narwuto-sama for helping save me and my fwends. You're gonna be the gweatest Hokage ever."

"Awww…thanks." Naruto said a light pink blooming on his cheeks as the little girl walked up to Kiba and Akamaru.

"Who are you?" she asked them and Kiba smiled at her as he dropped down to her level.

"I'm Inuzuka Kiba and that's Akamaru!" and the little girl walked over to the big dog and hugged his leg.

"Thank you Akamawu-tan! You're the biggest and bestest doggy I ever met." She told him and he smiled in his own way at her as she ran over to Kiba and hugged him, "Thank you Kibbews-tan! You're my hewo!"

"Kiba." He stated and she looked at him.

"Kibbews." She said and he shook his head.

"Ki…ba."

"Kib…bews." She said again and Tora looked at him and shook her head indicating that she just couldn't pronounce his name right.

"Whatever you want, Little Pup." He stated giving up and Tora laughed as Kira and Naruto did.

"Are all the children accounted for?" Kira asked Gaara and he nodded.

"Yes, even Tokiwa Kiyomi is here. I think we're going to have to speak with her though." Gaara stated and she looked at him as if asking why.

"I did what I needed to protect my sister." The young girl stated as she stood in front of Gaara and Kira a ways off from the other kids.

Kira looked down at her coolly, examining her. She had seen the girl on the day she was appointed to Kage no Kage standing next to her grandfather. She looked no different physically. She still had the same dark hair with picks just like Kira's in it. She still had those same light grey eyes too but something in them was different and Kira knew what it was: the effects of her first kill.

"You ran away from the village, eluded a squad of shinobi tracking you, placed yourself in danger by allowing yourself to be taken, and you took part in, against our orders, a mission that is at least A-rank and you haven't even graduated yet." Kira stated as she looked at the girl and Gaara nodded, "And you blatantly broke one of the Rules of the Shinobi: A shinobi is to never question their leading ninja."

"You disobeyed direct orders from Kira and myself to stay with the others and as a result nearly got yourself killed. As a result of your inability to follow the orders given to you by us I am pulling you out of the Academy." The Kazekage stated and Kiyomi started to protest until he raised his hand slightly as an indication he wasn't finished, "Unless you can explain to us why you broke the rules, disobeyed our orders, and killed that man."

"What?" she asked looking at them, "He attacked me!"

"Not good enough. You could have run away, you could have called for help, or you could have done a number of other things. Instead you fought back and killed him." Kira stated, "Why?"

"He attacked me and would have attacked my sister and friends. My mom told me to protect Hoshimi and watch out for the little kids. How can I do that if I run away? It is my job to protect my family and friends!" the little girl yelled at them, "If breaking the rules means I can protect them I'll do it!"

"Do you know what it means to have a nindo?" Gaara asked showing no emotion whatsoever.

"A nindo is a rule for a shinobi to live by, Kazekage-sama." She stated, repeating almost verbatim what the term had been defined as in school.

"A nindo is a ninja's way of life, Kiyomi. It is what drives them to do their best. It can be anything from 'I will destroy everything that ever hurt me' to 'I will never back down no matter what' or even 'I fight because I get paid to and that allows me to buy lots and lots of pancakes'." Kira stated and the girl choked on a laugh until Kira looked down at her, "As such we are still pulling you out of the Academy."

"What? Why? I answered your question! I don't understand!" the girl complained and Gaara spoke.

"Tokiwa Kiyomi, you are no longer an Academy Student. You will be expected to clean out any supplies you have in the school as soon as we get back." He stated and she stared at him about to speak until Kira interrupted her.

"And report directly after that to our office to receive your orders. You are no longer an Academy Student because you have taken part in an A-rank mission, have killed a man, and because you found your nindo." Kira stated and the girl's jaw dropped and looked at Gaara who was already walking past her and handed her a forehead protector from his tool pack as he looked down at her.

"That alone gives you the right to call yourself a shinobi of Sunagakure. That is why we are pulling you out of the Academy and changing your status to Genin." Gaara stated to the girl who was staring at the forehead protector he handed her with her mouth open wide before she closed it and looked at him.

"Thank you, Kazekage-sama." She said as she bowed, "I will do my best."

"Don't thank me." The red haired Kazekage stated as he walked towards his brother, "Thank Kira."

Kira looked at the girl as she bowed to her and nodded her head.

"Why, Kira-sama?" the girl asked and Kira sighed.

"In my village there is no final exam stating whether or not you pass the Academy and become a genin…there is a test of strength. Under my father's rule it was a test of strength and character. You passed under the laws of my father therefore _me_. Now go be with your sister and friends." Kira stated and pointed towards the other kids, "That is a direct order. Get used to taking them."

"Yes, Kage no Kage-sama." She stated and went to run off to her sister and stopped to tie on the forehead protector to her head and fiddled with it, "It's big…"

Kira smiled and laughed a little as she kneeled down next to the girl. She reached up and adjusted it a little bit so it wasn't lopsided.

"You'll grow into it," the young Kage no Kage stated smiling before she got up and looked at her sister as she helped Hinata and Sakura with the kids and Kira knew she was looking for the owner of the little blanket she was holding.

Kokoro searched the faces of the children in front of her, searching for one with hair like sand and eyes like the sea, searching because she made a promise and she never broke her promises. She saw Kira's signature deep purple hair walking up to her and looked at her sister as she clutched the blanket. Kira nodded and went off to help her sister find the child. So many faces looked up at Kokoro yet none matched the description of the little girl. She looked and listened expecting to hear the girl crying for the blanket like her mother said she would be. It was hard keeping track of the kids since they were all moving around. She was starting to get frustrated as she saw the same face again for the fourth time when she saw a figure walking over to talk with her sister. She saw her sister point to her but didn't really care; she was too busy searching until she heard a sniffle and looked up to see a pair of black gloved hands that were holding out a little girl with hair like sand and eyes like the sea during a storm towards her.

"Is this what you're looking for?" she heard the voice attached to the hands ask and her heart melted at the sight of those eyes brightening as they saw the blanket.

"Oki!" The girl exclaimed as whomever holding her set her down as Kokoro kneeled down in front of her.

"You must be Nagisa. Your mommy gave me this to give you." Koko stated and handed the child the blanket and smiled softly as the girl hugged it to her, "She thought you might be missing it."

The little girl nodded as Kokoro stood up and reached up towards her making Kokoro's heart melt even more. She picked up the yawning little girl and smiled softly as the child lay her head down on her shoulder and fell asleep holding onto the blanket for dear life.

"She holds onto it just like Kira did to her bear…" she whispered as she wiped away a few of the tears still lingering on the child's cheeks and thanked the person that brought her what she was searching for, "Thank you."

"No problem." she heard and looked up to see Gaara's older brother standing in front of her smiling at her and bowed slightly before leaving.

"Why?" Kokoro asked him and he shrugged.

"Kira would kill me if I didn't bring you the kid after finding her…well actually _she_ found _me_." The puppet master stated and turned around and looked at the little girl sleeping peacefully in the arms of the deadly kunoichi and he smiled, "She is kinda cute, though."

"She's adorable." Kokoro stated and Kankuro continued as he looked up her.

"Besides how could I not help a pretty little face like that?"

"Nagisa!" was the first thing they heard when they entered the small sea side village followed by the sounds of running feet.

"Mommy!" was the next thing as Kokoro handed the little girl over to her mother as the other kids and parents were reunited.

"Nagisa, my baby…thank you." The mother stated as she hugged her daughter tight against her and looked at Kokoro, "Thank you so much."

"PUT ME DOWN, YOU IDIOTS!" Kira shouted at her maniacally laughing brothers as they carried her towards the seashore, "GAARA-KUN!! HELP!!"

The sand master was powerless as a short burst of laughter escaped him as he watched the scene. Naruto and Hikaru were carrying a struggling Kira between them as Kokoro gripped the back of their shirts, heels digging into the sand as they dragged her. She laughed as the two men tossed their sister into the water only to have her latch onto their shirts and pull them down with her, Kokoro included. Gaara heard the sounds of more laughter coming from villagers and shinobi alike as they watched the spectacle and the kids playing a little farther down the beach.

The villagers had insisted that they all stay at least one night to rest before heading back to Suna. Gaara had accepted on everyone's behalf and was glad he did, otherwise he would have never gotten to see this.

The Kazekage shook his head and he laughed a bit more as he saw Kira bob up out of the water, tackle her twin brother, and hold him down under the water. Naruto tackled her from behind to help Hikaru. Gaara heard his own brother laugh as Kokoro stole Naruto's forehead protector and held it out of his reach while pushing him back with her other hand laughing. Gaara shook his head again at the sight and smiled as he saw Kira come up again and tackle Naruto as Hikaru tried to run after Kokoro. Naruto escaped too and ran from Kira laughing the entire time.

"I'm gonna kill you when I catch you Naruto!" Kira shouted at him as she chased him dripping wet.

"Koko give me back my forehead protector!" Naruto yelled as he chased after Kokoro who waved it at him and then tossed it over her two brothers to Kira who stuck her tongue out at her adopted brother and ran towards Gaara, "Kira! Give it back!"

"Make me!" Kira laughed as she reached her lover only to have him grab her waist as she tried to run past and pull her into him as he lost his balance and fell down with her in his lap, "Traitor!"

She tried to pull away and Gaara took Naruto's forehead protector from her and held it up for the blonde. She growled at her double-crossing mate and he smirked at her as he pressed his forehead against hers.

"What?" he asked as he smirked and she growled at him again which only made him pull her closer and kiss her before she tried to pull away.

"Not going to work! I'm still mad at you for not helping me!" she stated trying to pull out of his grip, something she knew was practically impossible once he decided he wasn't letting go, "Let me go you treacherous bastard!"

"No." he stated and they heard Neji start yelling at Naruto.

"Put her down you moron!" Neji yelled at the laughing blonde as he ran off with Hinata over his shoulder.

"Come back here, Uzumaki!" Kiba yelled as he and Akamaru joined in the chase while Sakura laughed until Kokoro pushed Kankuro down into the water, deciding that no one was getting away dry, and he pulled the both of then down with him.

Kira laughed as she snuggled into her mate content that he wouldn't let her go and laughed again as Tora's little sister Reina began running after Naruto too and Kiba picked her up and set her down on Akamaru's back laughing. Hinata was laughing as Naruto jumped into the water with her still on his shoulder. Kira smiled knowingly as they came back up and Hinata knocked him back down only to have him pull her down again as Reina distracted Neji and Kiba.

"He planned this." Kira stated to no one in particular, "Naruto planned this and got Reina to help him…tricky fox."

Gaara chuckled as he rested his head against Kira's. Kira turned her head and kissed her Kazekage softly before returning her gaze to Naruto and watched as he looked down at a blushing Hinata and spoke.

"I'm sorry I took so long, Hina-chan. There are a few things I have to tell you but first…please don't faint."

"W-why w-would I-" she started to ask but was cut off by the blonde haired shinobi kissing her.

"Finally." Kira and Gaara both stated at the same time.

Kira laughed again as Kokoro cheered their new brother on before Kankuro pushed her over into the water again. She landed on Sakura who stood up and was staring at her teammate, slack jawed, to see him lose his balance and bring Hinata down with him while she kissed him back.

"Go Nii-chan!" Kokoro cheered as she stood back up and laughed as Hikaru helped Reina distract Neji and Kiba.

Kira sighed as she leaned against her Kazekage and he looked down at her. She looked back up at him and gave him the biggest and happiest smile he had ever seen on her face. His eyes softened immediately as he smiled back at her and she kissed him softly before returning her gaze to her family, new and old, and laughed.

"My family is insane." She stated and laughed as she watched Naruto pick Hinata up again and glare at Neji as if saying: 'She's mine now'.

Gaara smiled more as he felt the pure joy, love, and peace flowing through Kira and rested his head on her shoulder since if she was happy...so was he.

_The past is our definition. We may strive, with good reason, to escape it, or to escape what is bad in it, but we will escape it only by adding something better to it. ~Wendell Berry_

_The family is a haven in a heartless world. ~Attributed to Christopher Lasch_

**A/N: And there you have it! I didn't end on a cliff hanger this time either. I hope you enjoyed it and that many of your questions were answered. I also hope that it provoked more questions since I'm evil like that. Review or Message me with any questions, comments, or suggestions. The next chapter is going to be up soon hopefully.**


	24. Chapter 23: Instinct

**A/N: Next chapter ready for you. This one is rather fluffy and kinda spastic since our beloved characters need a break from the constant epicness. It's mostly a filler chapter to be honest but sometimes filler is necessary. Anyway…I don't own the Naruto characters (it would rock if I did) only my own and the plot. R&R!**

**P.S.: I've been craving pancakes lately. You'll understand why I mentioned this later.**

Chapter 23: Instinct

Peace. Inner peace. Kira realized that this is what she was feeling ever since they got the kids back: A deep inner peace. She sat next to her red haired Kazekage and her brother in front of a fire just staring out at everyone. Soon she felt her eyes begin to close, a soft tired smile curving on her lips as she watched her family. Her ears picked up the sound of Gaara sliding back so he could lean back against something and felt his arms pull her into his lap while her eyes fought off sleep.

He maneuvered her so she was cradled against him, her head on his shoulder, and wrapped his arms around her. He knew she was fighting the urge to sleep and she knew he knew. Kira yawned, her fingers gripping his vest as she did, and got comfy. The steady sound of his breathing and the pure peace she felt was dragging her down into sleep. Pure instinct told her to fight it until she felt Gaara's hold on her tighten.

Hikaru sat and watched in awe as his sister allowed herself to fall asleep. The last time he had seen his sister she hadn't slept in two months, the only reason she slept before that was because she had been knocked out. He watched her curl up against the Kazekage as he held her, her hands gripping the vest he wore tightly. Kira's twin looked over at his other sister and saw that she was staring at the scene as well. She blinked a few times and a tear escaped, running down her face as she smiled.

"She's…sleeping." Kokoro stated smiling up at the red haired man holding her sister, "She's actually sleeping."

"I've never seen her look so peaceful," Hikaru stated as he stared at his elder twin then looked at the shinobi holding her, "Thank you."

"For what?" Gaara asked as Kira stirred slightly and he brushed back the hair that was tickling out of her face and she unconsciously moved into his hand making him smile softly.

"For that…I've never seen anyone look at my sister like that." Hikaru stated and Gaara looked at him not sure of what to say and Hikaru smiled at his purple haired sister sleeping, "And for giving her what we never could…"

"Freedom." Kokoro stated as she looked at her big sister and smiled, "I told her we'd be free one day."

Later that night as everyone lay sleeping Kira sat out on a jetty sticking out into the sea and stared out at the water. Her brown eyes caught site of a group of dolphins surfacing in the moonlight and she sighed contentedly. She smiled softly as she felt Gaara's presence nearing her location and continued to watch the waves until she heard the rumble of thunder in the distance.

Gaara turned his head towards the clouds that were slowly creeping up the coast and saw Kira stand up from her seat and start walking in as the winds picked up. She stood on a rock at one point and looked north as the wind beat against her and she nodded to herself before she saw him.

Kira looked down at the red head and jumped down to meet him as a loud crack of thunder was heard overhead. She looked up into the sky as the lightning began to illuminate the sky. She felt the Kazekage's arm slide around her waist as he started to pull her back towards the village. She looked up at him as he looked into the sky, the wind blowing through his hair, and felt his grip tighten until she reached up and ran her fingers over the scar on his forehead. He looked down at her smaller form as strands of her hair came loose and whipped around her.

"I know it's coming Gaara, and you can't protect me from it." she stated and he shook his head at her pulling her closer, "You can't protect me from Hoshiyama forever, Gaara-kun. Yuriko was right and you know it. Eventually the Reikage will find out where I am and come for me."

"She can't have you…I will find a way to protect you." He started and she rested her hand on his cheek and smiled.

"_We_ will find a way to protect _everyone_. There are bigger things than just me at stake now, Gaara-kun. You know this. Suna is at stake and so are our friends and family." She stated as the rain began to fall, "War will come to Suna…and most likely the other villages as well if Suna is still in an alliance with them and they uphold that alliance."

"They wouldn't dare not to." Gaara stated and sighed as he remembered something, "I had forgotten…you still have to meet with the other Kages."

"Then I will." she stated and he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and looked down at her.

"You are worth all the trouble you'll cause with them. I just want you to know that."

"Are you saying you think I'm going to start trouble with them?" she asked him and he shook his head.

"They will start with you, Ume-chan, but if anyone can win them over…it's you." The Kazekage stated and she pulled him down and kissed him softly as the rain fell harder and he groaned in annoyance at it.

"I like rain," Kira stated and he pulled her closer as they started to walk back.

"Why?"

"Because it used to be the only thing that could lull me to sleep." She said and it began to pour and she laughed, "I think it's jealous of you taking its place."

They began to walk faster then run into the house her siblings and some of the others were staying in. When they walked in they were greeted by the old man they first met and his wife.

"Ah, it's only you." The old man stated relieved and looked out the window and stood up straighter making his back crack a little and he grimaced, "That's a bad one. Makes my back ache."

"Go back to bed, Ojii-san, and rest. We'll be fine." Kira stated and smiled at the old man making him smile back and nod as his wife pressed a blanket upon Kira.

"Take this to fight of the chill from the rain." She said and bowed before walking away with her husband.

Kira smiled at them as they left and Gaara removed his vest and coat since they were soaked and hung them up near the door. This left him in a black shirt much like the one he used to wear when he was younger and Kira followed suit taking off her kimono shirt leaving her in her black undershirt. The first thing Kira did after that was walk to the room where some of the children were sleeping and poked her head in the door. This group was made up of a few kids from Kumogakure. They were all sleeping peacefully so Kira moved on to the next room where the kids from Suna were sleeping.

Gaara watched as Kira checked in on the kids and smiled softly at her. He was amazed at her maternal instinct. As he reflected on it he realized that Kokoro was up and walking about doing much the same thing Kira was as she poked her head in the room where the kids from Kumogakure were.

"They're sleeping." Gaara stated and saw her jump slightly at the sound of his voice.

"Where's Nee-chan?" she asked as she softly shut the door.

"Checking in on the ones from our village." He stated and Kira walked out, softly shutting the door behind her.

"They're asleep. Akifumi-san's grandchildren were fighting over the blanket in their sleep so I got them another one. Where's Nii-chan?" Kira asked of her sister.

"Hikaru-nii-chan is sitting up with Reina-chan and the ANBU member..." Kokoro stated and Kira nodded, "Tora…her name was. Reina woke up when that last loud crack of thunder went off. She has some kind of special power I swear."

"Why?" Kira asked laughing a little.

"I've never seen Nii-chan take to a child like that. He was already up like I was and as soon as we heard her wake up he was immediately over there talking to her with her sister." Kokoro stated smiling a little.

"She's adorable and innocent." Kira stated, "She's like you were when you were little, Koko. Hikaru sees that and wants to protect her."

"I was never that cute." Kokoro protested and Kira nodded.

"Yes you were. You loved unconditionally just like she does." Kira stated to her little sister who smiled.

"I love you and Hikaru unconditionally. Everyone else has to earn it." Koko stated and looked at Gaara, "Except you, your brother, Naruto-nii-chan, and Hinata-chan."

Gaara blinked at her, slightly confused and she smiled and explained.

"Kira loves you which means I'm stuck with you so I might as well love you. Kankuro protected Kira when Hikaru and I tried to kill her so he's cool in my book. Naruto-nii-chan is my brother now so I have to love him and Hinata-chan is Naruto's woman so I have to love her, too." Kokoro stated and yawned, "I'm gonna try to go back to sleep if you've got the little ones, Kira-nee-chan."

"I've got them. Go get some rest, Nee-chan. We'll talk tomorrow." Kira stated and hugged her sister goodnight, "I missed you, Kokoro."

"I missed you too, Kira." Kokoro said and hugged her sister back tightly before going back to bed.

A little while later Kira found herself sitting down on the little couch in the family area wrapped up in the blanket the old man's wife lent her. She was waiting for Gaara to return from the house across the street. He had gone over to check in on everybody that was there, making sure to take an umbrella with him of course. She was listening to the rain beat against the side of the house feeling a little sleepy.

"_See old friend? You can still lull me to sleep._" She thought then heard a loud crack of thunder go off overhead, "_Alright, I get it…you're still jealous, but you better get used to it._"

Kira picked her head up to listen for any sounds from the kids in case that loud bang woke any up. She heard the patter of little feet on wood soon after and Reina ran into the room and looked at her, fear in her eyes.

"Where's Kibbews and Akamawo and Gaawa-sama?" the child asked and Kira sat up on the edge of the couch to look the child in the eyes.

"Kiba and Akamaru are with the kids across the street keeping them safe. Gaara-sama went to go check in on them, he'll be back soon." Kira stated as she picked the scared little girl up and sat her on the couch, "Do you think you could do me a huge favor?"

"What?" the girl asked and Kira looked around and whispered.

"Do you think you could stay and wait here for Gaara-sama with me? It'll make me feel much braver if you're here." Kira stated and the girl looked at her.

"Kiwa-sama isn't afwaid is she?" she asked and Kira nodded dramatically and the girl shook her head no, "Nah uh. Kiwa-sama isn't afwaid of anything."

"Yes she is. Kira-sama gets scared too sometimes. In fact…" Kira started and pulled out a little scroll from her pocket and used it to summon the bear Gaara bought her then covered its ears, "I only act brave _all_ the time for him. He get's scared really easy. Think you can help me out and take care of him with me? I think if you hold him tight he'll feel better and won't notice if I get scared too."

Reina nodded as reached out and carefully picked up the purple bear and stared at it then at Kira as the purple haired Jinchuuriki resumed sitting back against the couch. A crack of thunder went off again causing the little girl to hug the bear to her tightly and jump into Kira. Kira smiled as the little girl talked to the bear as if soothing it. After a little while she watched as Reina yawned and lay down resting her head in Kira's lap as she hugged the bear. She was soon asleep and Kira picked her up so she was sitting in her lap with her head on Kira's shoulder. Kira's original intention was to lay her back down by her sister but when the little girl gripped her shirt she knew there was no way she could do that.

Gaara walked back in the house after shaking the water off of the umbrella and walked into the family room to see Kira on the couch holding a sleeping Reina. His lover's eyes met his sleepily then looked at Reina as she stirred.

"_The storm woke her and she ran in here looking for Kiba and Akamaru…and you. I told her she could stay here and 'keep me and my bear safe'. She fell asleep and won't let go._" Kira told him as he walked over and chuckled softly and Reina woke up a little.

"Gaawa-sama?" she asked, her eyes opening a little, and he nodded as he sat down by Kira, "Gaawa-sama will pwotect me fwom the angwy sky peoples now, just like Maya-nee-tan and Towa-nee-tan said he did before, wight?"

"_Angry sky people?_" Kira asked as Gaara nodded to the little girl.

"_Deidara…Akatsuki incident._"

"_Oh._" She said and yawned as she heard Reina speak again after she shifted her head onto Kira's other shoulder, still holding the bear.

"Kiwa-sama will help Gaawa-sama wight?"

"Yes, sweetie, Kira-sama will help Gaara-sama." Kira stated and covered the little child up, "Go back to sleep now, Reina-chan. We won't let anything hurt you."

"I know you won't, Kiwa-sama." The child stated as she yawned.

Kira lay her head down on Gaara's shoulder as his arm wrapped around her shoulders while letting Reina down so she could get comfy. Gaara watched his mate smile softly as she watched the little girl move so she was curled up against Kira while sitting between the two Jinchuuriki with her head resting against Kira.

"Goodnight Kiwa-sama. Thank you for letting me bawwow your bear. Goodnight Gaawa-sama. Thank you for pwotecting me." The little child whispered and closed her eyes drifting back off into sleep and Kira covered her back up.

Kira slowly shifted so she was resting on her side a little more, making it more comfortable for her neck and returned her head to Gaara's shoulder.

"_How are the other kids?_" Kira asked as she smiled down at the little girl falling asleep and Gaara nodded and kissed Kira's head before resting his own head on hers and stared out the window to watch the storm outside.

"_Most of them are asleep. At least one is clinging to Hinata while another has attached herself to Naruto. Two others are sleeping against Kiba's partner. Kiba is worried about this one which is why I came back over so quickly._" He stated and soon realized that Kira fell asleep again.

He looked down at her as she unconsciously pulled the sleeping child closer as the thunder cracked overhead making the little girl jump a bit.

"_**You have gotten so soft.**_" Gaara heard Shukaku say as he stared out the window.

"_Shut up. It's your own fault._" The red haired host retorted.

"_**How is this my fault? I'm the one that encourages you to kill people not get… cozy with them!**_" the demon stated and Gaara smirked.

"_Yeah, but you are the reason Kaminari brought Kira to me so you brought this upon yourself._" Gaara stated and heard the demon grunt in defeat, "_Thank you._"

The following morning was probably the most chaotic morning he had ever experienced and it was all caused by his lover asking one question of the kids.

"Alright! Soon we will start out for Sunagakure! It's going to take a few days to get there. You will all have to do a lot of walking. As such I am expecting you to eat a hearty, healthy, nutritious breakfast." Kira stated as she walked in front of the kids while the villagers watched, "Since our hosts have graciously offered us this food I also expect you to thank them all before we leave. Now…who wants pancakes?!"

"Oo! Oo! Can we help?!" Kokoro and Naruto started asking as they jumped up and down as all the kids raised their hands cheering.

Kira looked at them then at Hikaru and Kankuro behind her as they shook their heads frantically and waves their arms while mouthing: 'No'. Kira stared at the two bringing Naruto and Kokoro's attention to them. This only made her twin and the puppet master shove their hands in their pockets then start talking to each other about something completely unrelated.

"Everybody has to help. We all have to work together as a team to do this so…yes." Kira stated as her brother and Kankuro essentially sweat dropped.

As chaotic as it was Gaara was amazed at how his mate handled it as if it was the most organized event ever…until she dragged him into it.

"Gaara-kun…I said _everybody_ has to help and that includes you." She stated smiling as she stood in front of him in her black undershirt and fishnet sleeves, since her kimono top was still wet from the day before, covered in flour.

"You are beautiful." He stated absently and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Flattery won't get you out of this, Kazekage-_sama_." She stated and he glared at her before he pulled her closer and made her look at him.

"What did I say?"

"Don't call you sama?" She asked innocently as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "_Please help me or I'm going to murder my sister and Naruto. Pretty please with whipped cream, sugar, and a cherry on top?_"

"Exactly." He stated and kissed her softly then grinned at her with a slightly predatorial twist to it, "_Alright Ume-chan I'll help, but I want something in return when we get home._"

"Shukaku really _is_ rubbing off on you." She stated and dragged him behind her as she went back to making pancakes, "You're in charge of keeping those two in line."

She pointed towards Naruto and Kokoro. He sighed and nodded knowing it wasn't going to be easy until he saw Hinata. He walked over to her as she mixed a big bowl of batter. She stopped and looked at him.

"C-can I help you, Gaara-sama?" she asked and he nodded and pointed towards Naruto.

"I need help with him, and you're the only one that can control him." He stated and she blushed and he had to ask for his own curiosity's sake, "Did he tell you what-"

"Yes, he did." She stated blushing even more and he nodded.

"Good. Now help me before Kira-chan kills him." Gaara stated and she nodded and thought about how and Gaara spoke, "Just look helpless. Naruto!"

"What?" the blonde asked and Gaara pointed to Hinata and he came over immediately and sat down by her, "Need help?"

Gaara walked away having taken care of Naruto. Next was Kira's sister. He wasn't sure how to handle that one. He saw Kira off to his right walking with big thing of flour as a little boy followed her carrying a thing of what he assumed was butter and an older boy carrying a basket of eggs. He was starting to wonder how she learned to handle kids so well.

"_**She treats them the exact opposite of how she was treated I suppose,**_" He heard Shukaku state as if he was just lounging about in Gaara's head and the demon chuckled a little, "_**She **_**is**_** good at this isn't she? Must be that maternal instinct kicking in. She's going to be one hell of a mother.**_"

"_What?!_" Gaara asked and the demon started laughing.

"_**I love messing with your mind…she's not going to be a mother anytime soon. That reminds me, the next time you let me out I have to thank your brother for giving you that talk. That was the single most hilarious thing I have ever witnessed while being stuck in your head.**_" The tanuki stated and started laughing again as Gaara mentally glared at him and was ignored, "_**Who would have imagined that after a reaction like that you would-**_"

"_Will you just shut up you perverted raccoon?! I was fourteen! Just shut up!_" Gaara yelled at him.

"_Shukaku if you torture him anymore I'm not going to let Kaminari out to play again,_" Gaara heard his mate's voice say and looked up to see her still directing the two boys on how to mix the batter properly until her eyes flashed up and she smirked at him, "_So I'd behave if I were you…especially since Kaminari agrees with me._"

"_**Exactly. Leave the poor boy alone for once, Shukaku…you can torture him in a couple of days.**_" Kaminari stated and Kira mentally looked at her weird, "_**What? I can't deprive my mate of his favorite past time for too long, besides it's going to be too much for him to resist when it happens.**_"

"_When what happens?_" the two Jinchuuriki asked simultaneously and Kaminari chuckled evilly and apparently told Kira as her eyes widened.

"_Oh shit._" Gaara heard her think and looked at her confused, "_We'll discuss that later. Right now you should be helping me control my perverted sister. I'd suggest separating your brother from her while they're in front of children. We don't need to have their young impressionable minds scarred from hearing those two._"

Gaara nodded and turned towards Kankuro and Kira's little sister. He walked over to them and stood there in front of them until they noticed he was there.

"Gaara." Kankuro stated nodding his head a little.

"Kankuro." Gaara responded and Koko looked over at her sister who was trying to get a young boy to stop staring at her and do something.

"Looks like Nee-chan needs help with her many small admirers." Koko stated and grinned at Gaara, "Shouldn't you be helping her with that?"

Gaara looked over and shrugged as he came up with a plan.

"No." He stated and Kokoro looked at him as Kankuro watched.

"Shouldn't you be worried about someone taking your woman away?" Kokoro stated and Gaara leveled a stare at her.

"I don't need to worry about that." He stated and her eyes questioned him.

"Why not? My sister is a very desirable looking woman…she's bound to have men flinging themselves at her now and then." Kokoro concluded and Gaara stared flatly at her.

"Why would she bother with them when I keep her completely satisfied?" he asked and Kankuro started laughing as Kokoro looked at her sister and ran over to her determined to get her sister to talk.

"Where did that come from?" Kankuro asked once he stopped laughing, "That was the most perverted thing I have ever heard come out of you."

"You already should know that Shukaku is a bad influence." Gaara stated as he stared at his brother, "You and Kokoro should not be together in front of children."

"I'm starting to think you shouldn't either." Kankuro retorted and Gaara chuckled a bit as he looked at Kira then glanced at his brother.

"I can control myself. You can't." Gaara stated and Kankuro shook his head and spoke.

"And so the tables have turned."

"Gaara!" they heard Kira yell angrily and they looked to see her glaring at him as she held her sister back with a hand while holding back one of the little boys back with the other.

"You're in trouble," Kankuro stated and started to laugh until Gaara glared at him again before walking over and surveying what was going on.

"_I didn't mean send her to me!_" Kira stated as she glared at Gaara, "Help me!"

"What started this?" he asked and she glared more.

"It doesn't matter! Just help me end it or so help me I will make you pay!" Gaara's lover shouted and he nodded in silent defeat knowing that if he didn't she would indeed make him pay one way or another.

After that was ended Kira sent Gaara to go get her more eggs. She was still mad at him although he wasn't sure why. As he searched for the eggs he saw Reina helping Kiba feed Akamaru and grinned as she waved at him and ran over.

"Gaawa-sama! I helped Kibbews feed Akamawo all by mysewf! Wight, Kibbews!" she asked the leaf shinobi who smiled at her and picked her up, setting her on his shoulders.

"You sure did, Little Pup. Akamaru says thank you." Kiba stated and she nodded.

"I know! I heard him!"

"Huh?" Kiba asked staring up shocked at the child and then at Gaara.

"Her father is from Konoha. There's probably some reason hidden in that and her mother from Mizu. They came to Suna seeking refuge. They married in Suna and had twin daughters." Gaara stated and Reina nodded.

"Yep! Towa-nee-tan is like Papa and Amaya-nee-tan is like Okaa-san! You'll like Maya-nee-tan, Kibbews!" the little girls stated and bent over to look at the shinobi, "She's vewy pwetty, even if Towa-nee-tan says she's cwazy."

"She is crazy." Tora stated walking by with a thing of flour for Kira and stopped to look at Reina and Kiba, "I'm going to help Kira-sama. Try not to create too much chaos."

"I'll keep an eye on them." Gaara heard Hikaru state from behind him.

"Good. At least I know I can trust you." She stated and saw Gaara, "And of course you Gaara-sama."

Gaara nodded as Reina giggled and he looked at her and she leaned down to whisper.

"Towa-nee-tan likes Kiwa-sama's bwother." She whispered but Tora heard her.

"Reina! I do not!" her older sister shouted at her and Reina looked at her innocently.

"Then why awe you turning wed?" Reina asked and Gaara heard Kokoro and Kira's combined laughter as they watched Tora glare at her little sister as she did indeed turn red.

"Yeah, why _are_ you turning red…Tora-chan?" Hikaru asked smirking at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes as she growled at him and turned around walking off and Hikaru watched her smirking as he looked her over then looked at Gaara, "What? Kokoro is a very bad influence. Here are the eggs Kira wanted."

"Thank you." Gaara stated and walked back to Kira with her brother and found himself asking a question he very much wanted an answer for, "Why did the Reikage try to have you and your sister killed?"

**A/N: Now you understand why I mentioned pancakes. In the next chapter: Hikaru reveals more about the Tsukino Siblings past. Remember: I love me some feedback.**


	25. Chapter 24: Scars II

**A/N: Here's the next chapter. There was a bit of a wait on it since I've been pretty much attacked by other projects and what not. Not much to say other than that and I HAVE FAN ART NOW! Someone drew a picture of Tora and Reina since she likes them. I forgot to mention that last chapter, if you want to see it the links are on my profile. The Usual: Don't own Naruto, wish I did, blah blah blah, etc. etc. R&R I love feedback, it makes me write faster!**

**Note: The first part of the chapter deals with more of Kira's past and is kinda sad so…yeah.**

Chapter 24: Scars II

"Kira didn't tell you?" Hikaru asked looking at the Kazekage who shook his head.

"No. Kaminari showed me her past but didn't specify." Gaara stated and Kira's brother nodded.

"That's right you told us about that while Kira was sleeping. It's still hard to wrap my head around," he stated and Gaara agreed with him, "Well, I suppose I'll tell you then."

Gaara nodded and stopped a passing ANBU member so the person could deliver the eggs for him while he talked with Kira's brother. They walked off a ways, out of hearing of the children at Hikaru's insistence.

According to Hikaru the whole event that brought their 'deaths' upon them was something that Kokoro inadvertently caused. She had entered into a relationship with another Jonin of Hoshiyama some months before hand by the name of Atsushi. He had convinced Kokoro at one point that the only way to save Kira was to overthrow the Reikage and, along with some other villagers, she formed a resistance group.

"He was supportive of her. He helped with the meetings, where to have them and how to keep them safe, and she loved him, but…" Kokoro's brother stated and scowled at the ground as his fists clenched, "He betrayed us…he betrayed _her_."

Gaara learned that Atsushi was actually working _for_ the Reikage and had never intended to assassinate her. He was only using Kokoro to further his own ambitions and for his…baser needs. When the traitorous bastard informed the Reikage of Kokoro's involvement with the resistance group that was bent on ending her reign she had the issue put out to extinguish it. She wanted every member of the group dead, including Kokoro and Hikaru.

"I was part of the group, yes. I joined because of my sisters and because, even though I knew the Reikage's death alone wouldn't be enough to free Kira, I knew that taking out our…_mother…_" Hikaru growled out, hating to use that word to describe the woman just as much as Kira did, "I knew that if we took her out Hoshiyama would be free again. As I have stated, however, that is not the reason the Reikage had the assassination order put out for _me_. The real reason she wanted me killed was because I killed Atsushi in front of the council and then one other council member that dared call my little sister a whore. I think that was the first time they were truly afraid of me and of what I could do to them in defense of my sisters. Afterwards I escaped to go find Koko and Kira."

Gaara looked at him, remembering that he _was_ in fact Kira's twin therefore dangerous in his own right, and nodded. The young Kazekage looked at Kira's sister as she smiled while helping a little boy with something and Hikaru continued.

"It tore Kokoro apart when Atsushi betrayed her. She trusted him and loved him and he…threw her away. So I killed him." Hikaru stated and looked at Gaara as if making a point, "I'd do it again too."

"I love your sister, Hikaru. I would not have let her get this close to me if I didn't. So don't threaten me unless you are prepared to face me and die." Gaara stated and looked back at Hikaru dangerously and Kira's brother looked at him before continuing.

He explained to Gaara that the actual event that triggered Atsushi's betrayal of Kokoro was an attempted murder of one of the people in charge of watching Kira. Kokoro had discovered that one of them was planning on killing Kira using a special seal he had made. To stop him Kokoro gave him what should have been a fatal dose of one of her poisons. Unfortunately a medic nin found an antidote for it and identified it as one of Kokoro's. The medic nin, secretly part of the resistance, told Atsushi thinking he would protect Kokoro. Instead he told the Reikage.

"After he told the Reikage, and after I killed him, she sent out a task force to handle the resistance and another to handle Kokoro and me," Hikaru stated as he stared at his sisters, brown eyes glazing over slightly with a deep sadness, "They killed every member of the resistance and their families, even the little ones. One of them forced Kokoro to watch as another killed his own brother's little two year old girl. She stared at Koko the entire time holding onto a little blanket…even when she was dead her eyes never left Koko's."

"That explains it." they heard a voice say softly and saw Kankuro next to them.

He was staring at Kokoro with a sad glint in his eyes, watching as she picked up the little girl she had returned the blanket to and smile at her. Hikaru nodded as he continued to say that although the members of the resistance fought back only he and Kokoro were left alive when the last of their attackers fell. The puppet master listened with his brother as Hikaru went on to say that afterwards Kokoro wouldn't move. She just sank to the ground and started crying over the body of the little girl screaming she was sorry. He had to physically pry her away from the child even as he told her they had to leave and find Kira so they could flee the village. Kankuro's eyes never left Kokoro, watching her smile and play with the little girl as Hikaru looked down at his hands and spoke.

"But…I couldn't do it either. I couldn't just leave her there. Her blood was on my hands too…still is. We buried her next to her family and the others as well. I can honestly tell you that Koko has every child's name burned into her memory…and so does Kira."

"Huh?" Gaara asked and Hikaru looked at his eldest sister.

"She found us as I was trying to pry Koko off of the girl. She heard about the order the Reikage had issued for our deaths and set out to find us. She could smell the blood and the carnage from where she had been which is how she managed to find us. I still remember her eyes when she saw the blood and the bodies. They were usually blank most days back then, hiding all emotion, but when she saw it they began to swirl in a way, the icy violet of Kaminari's mixing with the brown of our father's. She did not cry, because Kira never cried again after that _monster_ beat her into a coma for shedding a tear when he touched her, but the sadness in her eyes was so intense you could almost feel it." Kira's twin stated as the two Sand brothers listened and looked at him as he continued, "She helped us bury them and she stared at every child's face as she did. She never said a word, she just stared at them. She stared at them until she couldn't see them anymore then stared at her hands, covered in their blood, as her eyes whirled with the two colors. She was standing in the middle of the street covered in the blood of those we had buried when the second task force came for us. She killed them all with one of the most gruesome of her techniques…worse than Chakra Spike."

"If she killed them, how did you 'die'?" Kankuro asked and Hikaru looked at him.

"The Reikage appeared from behind us with two others and drove one of Kokoro's own knives through her chest. The knife was dosed with a poison that paralyzed so the Reikage thought she died instantly, so did Kira and so did I. While one of the ones she brought sealed down Kira the other…" he answered and trailed off and pulled out a scroll.

It was the same one from the day he fought Kira and summoned a katana, inscribed with what looked to be kanji, from it and went on to say that the Reikage's assistant drove it through his back. It had been dosed with some kind of poison meant to kill him instantly, however because of Kokoro having inoculated both him and Kira against most of the village's lethal toxins including her own all it did was knock him out. Hikaru stated then that the last thing he saw before waking up buried alive was Kira's face as she watched her sister and brother fall.

"Kaminari told me that Kira unleashed her in an attempt to destroy the village." Gaara stated and Hikaru nodded as he stared at his big sister.

"Have you ever seen her in her Jinchuuriki form?" Hikaru asked the two brothers and Gaara nodded.

"The first stage I think."

"That is nothing compared to what I saw. Her eyes were luminescent violet, and the way her teeth were she looked half animal. The sheer power of it made the seals sealing her down disintegrate as Kira lost control. I had never seen her gain all ten tails before, only up to six…and six is terrifying in itself. At five tails she no longer looks like Kira, she's covered in a dark purple chakra as the cloak starts to expand and take the form of the griffin's wings yet it's still her. When she reaches six the wings are fully formed but it isn't her anymore…it's just a pure animal consumed by blood lust. The last image I remember is looking up the leg of Kaminari as my eyes closed." Hikaru said and stared up at the sky.

He was silent for a few more seconds before he spoke again.

"After that I woke up in a box and panicked a little at first since I was…you know, buried alive. That is not fun; I wouldn't suggest it to anyone. After I calmed down I healed myself and worked on getting out. By now you've figured out that Kira is a Sensor in some ways. Being her twin I am too. That is how I knew Kokoro was alive when I was buried. I felt her shift in chakra as she pushed out of the box. They buried her in a shallower grave, upside down, so all she did was repeatedly push up, after healing herself of course, until she broke through. Then she dug me up. They had placed the katana on top of my grave so I took it."

"Why didn't you get Kira after that?" Kankuro asked and Hikaru sighed.

"We couldn't get to her. A passing pair of shinobi caught sight of us and ran to inform the Reikage. We killed them and buried them in our 'graves'. When we were done Kira was already in the mountain. I can still hear her screams." Kira's twin said softly, shutting his eyes tight and continued, "They had tripled the guard at the entrance of the dungeons. Kokoro and I had no chance of getting past so…we ran. Some small part of us hoped that there were more survivors of the resistance against the Reikage. We managed to find a few but by the time we gathered enough to get Kira she was gone. Intelligence stated that after they released her from the mountain, and before someone came to collect her, she fled Hoshiyama."

"So you spent the next two years looking for her." The Kazekage stated and Kira's brother nodded.

"Yeah. We did. I'll be honest with you; I never thought in a million years that Kira would be safe and hiding in plain sight in a hidden village let alone a leader of that village." Hikaru stated as he smiled at his sister, "She's come a long way from what she was in Hoshiyama. I can see that just by her smile. I haven't seen her smile like that since we were twelve and snuck out to go swimming. She tore her knee open that day but she still was smiling as she leaned back and let Koko try to heal it. She felt free that day…we all did. Of course we were punished afterwards but when Koko and I snuck into her room to visit her she told us it was worth the pain…just that one moment of freedom was worth the black eye she got. I will never be able to thank you or Suna enough for this."

"You're a good brother." Kankuro stated and Hikaru looked at him.

"I know I didn't make the best first impression with that and…I'm sorry I…you know." Hikaru started, unsure of how to properly apologize to the man that yelled at him for being a horrible brother and Kankuro nodded before Gaara spoke.

"Don't apologize. Instead make sure it never happens again." The Kazekage stated and looked Hikaru square in the eyes, "I never want to see her go through that again. If she does and I find you to blame…I'll kill you."

With that the Kazekage walked off as Kira called for him. Hikaru watched him walk away and smiled. He shook his head and looked at Kankuro who was watching his other sister argue with Naruto about something until Hinata walked by and Kokoro decided to inspect her. This made Kankuro laugh.

"Does she always do that?" he asked and Hikaru shrugged.

"Apparently. She approves of your brother."

"Do you?"

Hikaru watched as Kira looked up at her lover, smiled, and then blushed as Gaara said something to her. The young man laughed a little as Kira smacked Gaara on the arm for it then hand him a bowl and glare at him. Kankuro laughed at this as well.

"She is the only one he lets tell him what to do and piss him off without issuing a death threat. She's been good for him. He's never been this good around kids…most likely he's just copying her, but it's working."

"He seems to be good for her too. If he's the one that can make her smile like that then I'm alright with him. It's just gonna take a while to get used to." Hikaru stated then looked at the puppet master, who was without the usual purple today, and spoke, "As for your staring at Kokoro I'll only say this: Be careful. She's not Kira. She's a whole different animal. She has a tender heart deep down but she'll play with you until she breaks you. She'll never let herself be used again so she's learned to play it their way…and she plays it very well. On that note: Hurt her and I'll make you suffer for it."

Hikaru walked away to go reign in Kiba and Reina at that point leaving Kankuro to return to trying to help Kira cook.

"Send a message to Suna telling them that we're on our way back and to contact the other villages." Kira stated to an ANBU member before they set out, "I'm not sure how long it's going to take us to get back since we have the kids. If I am correct in my knowledge of the trade routes around Suna we should run into one of the caravans on its way to the village later this afternoon provided we leave like now."

"Yes, ma'am." The shinobi stated and disappeared to carry out the orders as Gaara and Kira thanked the villagers for their wonderful hospitality.

"It was the least we could do," the old man's daughter said as she held onto Nagisa, the little girl with the blanket, "You brought back our children."

"You are always welcome here." The old man stated and bowed to them as they bowed back, "I would say I hope to have more trade happen between Sunagakure and our village but the road is long and dangerous."

"I will see what I can do." Kira stated as she smiled at the man, "If I cannot find way to have you escorted to and from Suna I will not be happy. Having lived off of fish for almost a full year in total I can honestly tell you that your village has found miraculous ways to cook and prepare all kinds and would benefit greatly by a wider trade route."

After a few more minutes of business talk they all found themselves bidding the village goodbye and setting off for Suna. Kira was indeed correct in her knowledge of the trade routes and they came upon the caravan sometime later that day. The leader of it was slightly difficult to handle until he realized that the one of the two people he was giving a hard time was the Kazekage of the village he was going to do business in.

"O-of course you can travel with us!" he said at last as Gaara stared flatly at him, "I am sorry about the hard time I gave you. It's this accursed sun. It hindered my view of you, Kazkage-sama. I never meant any disrespect to you or your oddly haired companion to whom I have not yet been introduced."

"I'm the Kage no Kage, Tsukino Kira." Kira stated flatly and the man bowed to her and apologized again, "Then it is settled. We shall accompany you to Suna, act as added security for you, and I will personally see to it that you are properly rewarded for your services besides being given an armed escort by a team of elite shinobi."

They travelled on unmolested for most of the next few days until a band of rogues dared attack the caravan. It was a short confrontation since they took one look at Gaara, recognized him, and beat a hasty retreat. Hikaru and Kokoro were starting to wonder about that when Naruto and Sakura filled them in on some of the Kazekage's history with added help from Kankuro. After roughly four days of slow travel they received word from Suna that the other Kages had received the news.

"Due to Kira-sama's appointment to Kage no Kage the other Kages, excluding Tsunade-sama, have informed me that they will be travelling to Suna in person to meet the Kage no Kage as per custom and tradition." Gaara read from the scroll, scowled, and continued reading, "Tsunade-sama has informed us that she cannot attend the meeting due to a recent outbreak of a virus in Konoha's hospital that she must personally attend to. She also has informed us that the team of shinobi she sent to Suna in her place consists of Nara Shikamaru and Kazekage-sama's sister, Temari, and Hatake Kakashi. Tsunade-sama also regrets to inform us that Uchiha Sasuke will also be in attendance."

"Shit." Kankuro stated and scowled, "That is going to cause problems with the other Kages."

"She apparently sent the team before she received word of the Kages' impending visit." Kira stated as she read the scroll herself, "The other Kages should not arrive for a while so we will hopefully have the children from Konoha back to the village along with Uchiha by the time they arrive."

Gaara nodded and read the rest of the scroll: Hatake Kakashi will as the assistant of her personal representative…"

He stopped and stared at it for a moment and smiled. Kira knew what it was since he was reading it over his shoulder as he sat down and smiled as well and looked at her adopted brother.

"You." She stated and Naruto stared at her speechless as Gaara pulled out the second scroll that was enclosed with the main one.

"That must be why she sent this." Gaara stated and handed it to Naruto who grabbed it and quickly unrolled it and read it out loud.

"Naruto, you once told me you were going to be Hokage one day and you haven't stopped telling me that yet. I was going to tell you this in person but due to the circumstances that prevent me from attending the upcoming meeting I am sending this instead. During the upcoming meeting of the Kages you will act as my personal representative since I have chosen you as my successor. You are not Hokage yet, but you will be when I see fit to step down or die. Due to the information that has been gathered concerning Tsukino Kira and my own gut instinct I feel that it is necessary for me to ensure the future of the village in this way. I am expecting you to be on your best behavior during the meeting, Naruto, so please don't call the Tsuchikage Old Man or Grandpa or the Mizukage Old Lady or anything like that! Keep the interests and welfare of Konoha in mind at all times. Kakashi will be there to assist you. I know you will do well. When you return to Konoha you will report directly to me to begin learning how to deal with the paperwork…" Naruto read and sweat dropped, "Figures she'd use this as a way to get out of her work."

"Naruto, you're missing the point!" Sakura yelled at him and went to slap him upside the head but Neji caught her hand and looked at her, "I don't care if he's going to be Hokage!"

"Yeah…it just wouldn't be the same if Sakura-chan didn't knock me out every now and then." Naruto stated and smiled.

"You're taking this very well." Neji stated, "I'm surprised you aren't jumping up and down with joy."

"It hasn't sunk in yet." Kiba stated as he walked up with Reina riding Akamaru.

"All of you are taking this well." Kira stated and looked at them, "Sakura is the only one who had any reaction to it."

"Reaction to what?" Lee asked as he walked up and Gaara looked at him.

"Naruto is going to be the next Hokage." The Kazekage stated and Lee looked at him and blinked, "Tsunade chose him as her successor."

Kira watched as Konoha's Green Beast began to jump up and down in joy and hug Naruto frantically while crying. She looked at Gaara with wide shocked eyes and heard him chuckle.

"You wanted a reaction." He said as Kokoro walked up and stared at Lee.

"What _is_ he?" she asked and Gaara held in a laugh.

"He's…Rock Lee." Neji sighed, "You never really do get used to it. As for our reactions…it was expected. By me at least."

"I always knew y-you'd be Hokage, Naruto-kun." Hinata stated as she walked up and he smiled at her and picked her up swinging her around in a hug then kissed her as he set her down again blushing lightly, "What was that for?"

"That was for always believing in me. This one is for not stuttering," he said and kissed her again and then again, "And that one was for not fainting."

Kira looked at Gaara and laughed lightly before looking back at Naruto.

"You really know how to motivate, Nii-chan, but remember you can't do that with all of the villagers. Hinata _will_ get jealous. Especially once you mark her…then you'll have to be _extra_ careful." Kira stated and Naruto blushed as Hinata did and buried her face in his jacket as Gaara smirked and nodded.

"Exactly. Kira-chan has mastered control of that jealousy which is why you don't see her trying to kill any female that comes near me." Gaara stated and Kira smiled at Kokoro before looking back to Gaara, "What?"

"Why would I have to worry about other women when I keep you perfectly satisfied?" She asked him with a wicked little smile and Kokoro snorted back laughter.

**A/N: There you have it! This chapter was Scars II because it dealt with mental scarring in a way in case you are wondering. Anyway, Review, Message, or Something! I update much faster when that happens!**


	26. Chapter 25: Return

**A/N: Ok, here's the next chapter. I know I haven't updated in forever, I've been going through some writer's block as well as waging holy war on my spawn of Satan computer (it hasn't let me upload anything until now) and I know it's kind of short but I seriously found THE perfect stopping point for this and can't write anymore without giving too much away and getting ahead of myself.**

Chapter 25: Return

"Run ahead to the village and inform them of our return."

"Yes, Kira-sama." The ANBU stated and disappeared as Gaara looked over at his mate and smiled ever so slightly.

They would hopefully still have a few days before the full meeting with the other Kages in which he could prepare her but otherwise she was ready. It baffled him really. She fell into the role of leader faster than he could have imagined and it suited her. He could only hope that the other Kages agreed or he would have a serious problem on his hands. He would worry about that later. Right now they still had to get the children into the village and find them somewhere to stay until they could be taken home.

Kira knew Gaara was worried about her upcoming meeting with the other leaders and knew he would continue to be until after it was over. She found that she wasn't worried about it in truth. Sure she was nervous since they were the leaders of the other villages but deep down she felt no concern or fear. It confused her that when she looked deep within herself all she saw was a deep pool of peace filled confidence. Although she wasn't quite used to it yet she found that she liked it. Kira felt at that moment that nothing could bring her down and as she walked beside her mate while the village slowly came into sight her she held her head high and confidently. It made her brother and sister smile to see her do so.

A short while later they arrived at the gates of the village to see a large crowd of villagers waiting for their return. It made Kira smile as the children began to shout to their parents and run forward towards them as they ran out as well. Kira could sense the slight twinge of sadness in her mate underneath the overall happiness and pride he felt at the sight.

"_I love you._" Was all she had to say to make that sadness go away and he smiled at her as they watched the scene of parents being reunited with their children.

"Reina! Maika!" they heard a woman's voice call out making them watch as Tora and Reina's mother ran forward and hugged her little daughter tightly as her husband helped Tora's twin come forward.

"Okaa-san! Papa! Maya-nee-tan!" the little girl shouted and hugged her mother first as she began to ramble about how she and all the other kids were saved by Kira and how Gaara and everyone else helped out.

Gaara watched as her father set Tora's twin down next to his wife and looked up at the Kazekage. Gaara knew Kinkou Ryuu well enough to remember that this man never really approved of him and had openly opposed the idea of Gaara taking up the office of Kazekage. However what the young Kazekage saw in the man's eyes was much different from what he had seen before. As the father walked over to his two Kages Kira watched as he stopped in front of Gaara and bowed. She smiled softly as she listened to the man try to apologize for his previous behavior until Gaara stopped him.

"What is in the past is done. Go be with your family."

"Thank you Kazekage-sama." The man stated and bowed before watching his other daughter come forward with some help from Kira's brother and he walked over to her, "Tora."

"Papa." She greeted and bowed to him which made Gaara vaguely recall that the relationship between those two had always been somewhat strained, and was made even more so by Tora's decision to support Gaara, "I have returned."

The man hugged her in response as Tora's youngest sister chattered on in great detail about how "Kibbews and Akamawo" saved her when they walked up. This apparently pleased Amaya as the next thing either Gaara or Kira knew Kiba was on the ground with Amaya smothering him with kisses while shouting "Thank you!" in between each one. Kira laughed in amusement at the sight as did many of the others, including Amaya's family.

"I told you you'd like Maya-nee-tan, Kibbews!" Reina exclaimed happily.

Two weeks later, after finding temporary housing for the other villages' children and once again seeing the majority of the Konoha shinobi off, Kira found herself in her and Gaara's office early one morning listening to Kiyomi's sensei complain about his new student.

"She is headstrong, reckless, and has no respect for her superiors!" the man once again stated as Gaara and Kira, who both were resting their chins on their hands at that point, glanced at each other.

"_I really don't blame her for not respecting this idiot, Gaara-kun. He repeats himself too much_." Kira stated through their bond and Gaara agreed.

"We will reassign her to another team more suited to her skills. You are dismissed." Gaara stated and signed off on the paper as the man began to protest that he didn't want her reassigned he wanted her sent back to the academy which only made Gaara look up at him more than a little annoyed, "Tokiwa Kiyomi cannot go back to the Academy. Kira and I have both made that very clear to you. We will reassign her. You. Are. Dismissed."

The man bowed stiffly and left just as Tora arrived and bowed to them. This was an unexpected visit and made both of them quite curious as to what was going on.

"How can we help you Tora?" Kira asked while sitting behind her desk.

"I wish to resign from my position of ANBU captain and be pulled out of the ANBU." She stated much to the surprise of Gaara who spoke next.

"On what grounds?"

"While I am honored by your trust in me Gaara-sama the missions keep me from my family too much. I feel…responsible in a way for what happened to Reina. No matter how many tell me that it was not my fault in anyway I still feel it was. On top of that I believe that my skills can be put to better use as a regular Jonin of the village. My sister Amaya has no doubt informed you of the village's lack of teachers for the Academy. I can help. I _want_ to help." The young woman stated as she looked at them and they watched her while, unknown to her, they were discussing what to do with her.

"_She was correct about the village's lack of teachers._" Gaara stated through their bond to his second in command.

"_I am aware of the situation, Gaara-kun, but the question is _where_ to put her within the academy. There are a number of positions that need filling._"

"_I know. Too many of the shinobi in the Academy are handling more than one position. Her sister alone sees to three different subjects if I am not mistaken. Where do her strengths lie?_"

"_Ninjutsu and kenjutsu are her strengths, her taijutsu is slightly above average, she has a little skill with genjutsu but not as much as her sister, and if I remember correctly she specializes in Fire Release techniques. Over all she's a highly skilled kunoichi that progressed through my training fairly well._"

"_Very good. Where do you think she will be put to the most use?_"

Gaara nodded in agreement as Kira told him then stood up and gave an order to the person outside the door and sat back down. Tora was still watching them anxiously until Gaara spoke.

"You are dismissed from ANBU and will be reinstated as a Jonin. Your first new assignment will be as a sensei."

"To Tokiwa Kiyomi." Kira finished and continued as she saw the confusion on Tora's face, "Her former sensei was the man that you just saw leaving. He couldn't handle her so…"

"I accept." Tora stated and a few minutes later Kiyomi was brought in and told of the change.

"But…I thought Sensei was going to have me sent back to the Academy." Kiyomi stated confusedly, "He swore up and down he wouldn't leave here until you sent me back."

"Since when was that man ever able to make Gaara-sama or Kira-sama do anything?" Tora asked slightly amused and continued as the girl remained silent, "Exactly. You will meet with me first thing tomorrow morning in front of the Academy to begin your training."

"Yes, Tora-sensei." Kiyomi said and bowed then they both bowed to Gaara and Kira after the two dismissed them.

Soon after that it was lunch time which meant it was time to meet up with Kira's siblings, including Naruto of course, as well as Gaara's. Kira's mate was still adjusting to Hikaru and Kokoro but overall he found he could tolerate them easily.

Kokoro he found to almost be a female, slightly more hyper Kankuro when you got right down to it. Most of the time he spent around her was watching her out of the corner of his eye as she stared at him half expecting her to pounce on him or something. Kokoro was like a hyperactive kitten until you got her on a battlefield or a training area for practice and then Kankuro's nickname for her definitely described her. She was a little viper that hated being underestimated but used that to her full advantage every time. Her expertise in poisons was unquestionable and, since she had offered her services in the field to Suna, was currently working with Suna's Puppet Brigade and Poison Division to improve the potency and use of their poisons. All in all Kokoro was actually a very valuable asset for the village.

As for Hikaru, Gaara discovered that he actually got on rather well with Kira's slightly overprotective brother until Hikaru was reminded that Kira slept with him. Despite that most of the time he and Gaara spent talking was devoted to topics you would have expected two Kages to talk about. Kira's twin was just as intelligent as she was and Gaara valued his insight on certain things. His temperament was much tamer than that of his sister Kokoro although he could be just as playful or wicked as she could at times. The biggest difference Gaara noticed was that while Hikaru's sisters felt quite at home in Suna and fit in very well, Hikaru himself did not. Kira's twin felt comfortable in Suna but not at home.

Kira herself sensed this, as did Kokoro and her newest best friend Amaya. Tora's twin sister enjoyed teasing the former ANBU member about her growing relationship with Hikaru, and Kokoro liked to tease her brother about it as well. When the two weren't teasing their siblings one or the other usually remarked on how Hikaru seemed to refuse to settle in. Kira herself had asked him about it and was answered by Hikaru stating that he wasn't doing it intentionally and that it just seemed like something was preventing him from settling down into a new home.

"Gaara! Nee-chan!"

The two looked in the direction of the call to see Naruto sprinting towards them. He looked ever so slightly panicked as he did, however when he reached them it took him a second to catch his breath.

"What is it, Naruto?" the young Kazekage asked his blonde friend.

"The other Kage's are at the gate." He stated and Gaara sighed slightly.

"Nii-chan, why did they send you to tell us this?" Kira asked since it slightly confused her.

"They didn't. I just saw them walking in."

"Okay," was all she managed to get out before one of the gate guards ran up to tell them the same exact thing, "Thank you. Get them set up comfortably and tell them that we will be there after we take care of some business."

"Yes, Kage no Kage-sama." The guard stated and went off to do as told.

An hour or so later found the two young lovers, along with Naruto and Kakashi in tow, walking into the meeting room to meet with the other Kages, and Gaara could only hope that they wouldn't cause too much trouble. He knew to expect some kind of trouble from the fact that she was his lover, but he didn't really know _what_ to expect from them when it was revealed that Kira was a Jinchuuriki…the Jinchuuriki of the _Juubi_. He didn't know _what_ to expect but he knew very well it was not going to be _pleasant_.

**A/N: Ok, there you go. Once again sorry for the long wait. Chapter 26 should be longer although I don't quite know when I'll get it posted. My computer is the spawn of the devil But as usual: Review or message me about any questions you may have or with any comments you've got.**


	27. Chapter 26: Confrontation

**A/N: YES! It is finally here! Chapter 26 of Kunoichi Jinchuuriki! I had a bit of writer's block, lost some notes, lost internet, got a new computer, and lots of other stuff but it is finally here. God bless Japan and Kishimoto because they all need some love right now, and I do not own the Naruto characters or other Naruto stuff, only my own characters. With that said: Read, REVIEW, and be merry.**

Chapter 26: Confrontation

"_You_ are the new Kage no Kage?" the Tsuchikage asked of Kira when she and Gaara entered the room where their guests sat waiting.

All the Kages were present as well as Mifune, the leading general from the Land of Iron. On top of that each Kage had brought a second with them, as was customary, so the conference room was filled except for a few seats. Naruto took his seat near Kira, Kakashi stood to his side. The other Kages and Mifune sat in their seats and waited for an answer.

Gaara had expected the old man to start the questioning first, but he hadn't expected it to start _this_ soon. There was nothing he could do about it however besides hope and pray that this all came out okay in the end. Still, he trusted Kira to be able to win them over, and as such forced himself to relax as she spoke.

"Yes, I'm the Kage No Kage of Sunagakure, Tsukino Kira…originally hailing from Hoshiyamagakure in the Spirit Country. I am the reason you are all here." She stated as Gaara sat down in his chair with her at his side in hers, and they put both their hats on the table.

"Hoshiyamagakure…" Mifune stated as if he was trying to remember what he had heard of it, "Long way from home."

"No, I'm not." Kira stated simply, "_Suna_ is my home; Hoshiyama was never home for me, but yes, I'm a long way from there."

The Raikage and Tsuchikage raised their eyebrows at her. They obviously wanted an explanation for that remark.

"You're a missing-nin of theirs, aren't you?" the Mizukage asked and looked at Kira studying her.

"You're not in any of the bingo books as far as I know." The Mizukage's second, Ao, stated.

"She isn't." Kakashi stated as he stood next to Naruto, who was calm and collected, a serious look on his face for once as he spoke.

"They don't want other hidden villages knowing about her existence or her escape."

"Escape? She abandoned her village!" the Raikage stated, "How can you be sure she won't do the same here, Kazekage-dono?"

"Because then she would have to abandon _me_ and that is impossible." He stated calmly, his chin on his folded hands, knowing very well that this would start the arguing, "She's my lover and bonded to me on the Jinchuuriki level. She can't leave without me and you all know I would never abandon my position here."

There was a long period of silence as the other Kage stared back at them. Kira could easily tell that that fact didn't sit well with them. Still she remained calm as she sat next to her mate.

"I'm sure Kazekage-dono is fully aware of the implications and dangers that brings." The Mizukage stated calmly.

"More than you realize." Gaara stated, "Her former village has already made one attack against me personally in an effort to take her in."

"They sent a small army. A lot for one person." Naruto stated, taking this meeting seriously Kira knew, "She is what she is but it was still a lot."

"They obviously fear her giving out information." The Tsuchikage stated, "She defected from her home village. By all rights and means we should send her back in exchange for a treaty to prevent another war."

Gaara audibly growled at that until Kira rested her hand on his to calm him. Then she looked at the old man.

"I wouldn't _think_ about that let alone _do_ it if I were you."

"And why not?" he asked snorting.

"Because the Kazekage will try to kill you." The Mizukage stated as she looked at Gaara knowingly, "You forgot the rumors of how strong a Jinchuuriki's bond is. It's killed before."

"That is true, Mizukage-dono, as well as another reason. One that will definitely make you want to keep me right where I am. " Kira stated and they looked at her slightly confused yet curious, "I am the Juubi's Jinchuuriki."

"What?" the Raikage shouted standing up, slamming his fists down into the desk in his excitement, and Gaara was thankful he and Kira had both reinforced the desk at that seat so it didn't crack.

"Impossible." The Tsuchikage stated as he stared in disbelief, "There is no way…the Nine were never combined, you still have the Ichibi yourself, Kazekage-dono, it's impossible for her to be Juubi's Jinchuuriki!"

"The Ten-Tailed Griffin Demon, Juubi no Kaminari." Kakashi said for Kira, "The oldest of the bijuu and most powerful. Not the _original_ Juubi. I'm not sure how that works out yet, but it is possible."

"It's complicated." Naruto stated, "Something involving the split of the energy into a certain number of parts based off of the study of an ancient divination scroll…and then the drawing of that energy together…or whatever it is the Kyuubi is grumbling about.

"_**The Sage studied an ancient divination scroll and determined that it was best if he split the energy of the original Juubi up into 55 equal parts. That however didn't work out so well so he took that energy and remerged it into the tailed beasts which were, hard to believe but true, more manageable. However what he didn't account for was the limitations of his own technique that prevented him from reforming parts into anything greater than ten. My energy was the first to be drawn together. However I did not gain a physical form until much later on that mountain when the woman drew upon my energy, but Kakashi already discussed that. Anyway, the other nine were in part reformed by the Sage and in part by nature. The Kyuubi and I were both reformed by the sage which is why we're related. Shukaku…being the wild bastard he is…was not. As for why he didn't group the energy into equal parts again I think it was because he was trying to find the perfect ratio. I was too strong at 10, Yoko was too strong at 9 and so on...**_" Kaminari stated within Kira's subconscious and Kira nodded before repeating what she said to the gathered group.

"Your bijuu seems very talkative, Kira-dono." The Mizukage stated.

"Today she is." Kira admitted while she mentally sent some reassurance to Gaara through their bond, "Some days not so much, depends on our moods but if we go a day or so without talking I start to wonder what she's doing in there…so to speak."

"You have a good relationship with your bijuu." The Raikage observed while looking at Kira.

"Most of the time these days. It wasn't always so, for a period of time we did not have the greatest of relationships and some things I'm not proud of happened, but I am fairly sure now that that was my own fault for letting my rage get the better of me which then transferred to her." The young Kage no Kage stated honestly, she wasn't going to lie to this group, "As far as bijuu go Kaminari is not that particularly blood thirsty unless she's extremely enraged by something."

Gaara looked at his peers and their subordinates and knew very well that they were thinking that this tipped the balance of power in Suna's favor too much. It did, he couldn't deny that, but considering that Suna was in an alliance with them it shouldn't matter as much. Or at least that was his thinking.

"We are allies." He stated, "There is no reason for any of you to fear Suna using Jinchuuriki against you. That would defeat the purpose of this alliance."

"I was raised very much like, Gaara." Kira stated, "I was raised to be a weapon by my…the Reikage, the village's leader.

"Kira-sama's mother." Kakashi stated and Kira visibly twitched before continuing.

"I was raised as a weapon but I refuse to be used as one. I know what I am capable of better than anyone and I hate that knowledge so believe me when I tell you I'm not going to let anyone, even Suna, use me as a tool of war…unless you attack us first." Kira stated clearly, "I will defend my new home to the death if need be. Suna is my home. Hoshiyama never was."

"Hoshiyamagakure…" the Mizukage said as if she was trying to wrap her mind around this, "Had the Juubi…and a Jinchuuriki. If anything it was a fault of ours for not having more knowledge of the country."

"Every shinobi village has at least one whole file cabinet filled with info on Hoshiyamagakure." The Raikage's female second, Mabui, stated, "The fact is that they don't add up to much intel wise."

"The Spirit Country was always a dangerous country but recently reports of its hidden village have gotten worse." The Tsuchikage's second added and the Tsuchikage himself continued the thought.

"They used to be on good terms with the 5 great nations and there was much talk of adding it as a 6th. Negotiations were scheduled to start with the former Reikage…" He stated before another presence entered the room.

"Our father." A voice stated from the door way and everyone looked towards the source of it to see Hikaru leaning in the doorway.

"Who are you?" The Mizukage asked.

"Tsukino Hikaru." He stated.

"My twin brother." Kira elaborated, "He and my sister Kokoro are both here in Suna. Hoshiyama believes them dead. He is correct though. The former Reikage, Tsukino Daichi, was our father. He was used as the sacrifice to seal Kaminari within me."

Slight shock once again flooded the Kage's faces. Hikaru entered the room and took a seat next to Naruto as the Kages tried to process all of this new information. Naruto looked at Hikaru for a moment before looking back at the other Kages.

"Many in the village believe that our father along with half the elder council died fighting Kaminari to protect the village." Hikaru stated as he sat back in the seat, "However…that is not the case. The night my sister and I were born our mother, the current Reikage, and the other half of the council ambushed our father with the intent to force him to summon Kaminari, which he did, and from there she used him as the sacrifice to seal Kaminari into Kira. She originally tried to seal her into both of us but was unable to."

"She also murdered the half of the council that opposed her." Kira stated, "After that she became the Reikage…"

"And cut Hoshiyamagakure off from the outside world all to keep Kira a secret." Hikaru stated then he and Kira both continued to inform the Kages of why exactly Hoshiyama became so secluded as well as how and why Kira ended up in Suna.

"She will stop at nothing to get Kira back." Hikaru stated, "Neither will Akujin. It must not happen though. I love my sister dearly but even I can't deny that it would be more dangerous for a power other than the Five Great Shinobi Nations to have…possession, as much I detest that term when speaking of my sister, of her. Especially one so volatile."

"_**He's grown so much over the years.**_" Kaminari stated to Kira after Hikaru finished speaking, "_**He is his father's son and will make a great leader one day, just like you are becoming.**_"

As Kira smiled faintly at Kaminari's praise a jonin ran into the room a calm alarm on his face as he looked at them.

"There are intruders at the gate." He reported, "They haven't tried to gain entry but are demanding an audience with you, Kazekage-sama, and that we turn over Kage no Kage-sama. Their leader is a kunoichi carrying a large katana and has a large tattoo running down her right arm and what looks like a seal tattooed on her palm."

Gaara watched both his lover and her brother scowl murderously. It wasn't a good sign, which he knew, especially when Kira told him who that was through their bond before Hikaru spoke the words as he looked at his sister.

"You know it's not really her…she's only projecting or using a clone." He stated to her.

"Obviously. She'd never risk coming in person." Kira stated and looked at the ninja, "How many?"

"About eight, but sensors say there are more." He reported and Kira got up as did Gaara and Hikaru.

"She's using a clone then." Kira's brother stated as Naruto also rose, "Does our sister know?"

"Yes, Hikaru-sama, she's at the gate with Kankuro-sama assessing the situation. She has not made her presence known to the group outside as of when I left to come here."

"Get back to the walls and tell them to move." Hikaru stated.

"She wouldn't…" the Mizukage started.

"She would. To get to Kira she'd go through the fires of Hell and back ten times over." He stated and Kira nodded agreeing with her brother then looked at the jonin that alerted them.

"Go. Do as he says but do not let them in the village." She ordered and called in an ANBU she had stationed outside the door, "Evacuate the kids somewhere safe. Send out Squad 3, 7, and 10 to help hold the gate."

As soon as she finished saying that an explosion was heard in the direction of the gate. The other Kages all stood at that moment in alarm and the ANBU took off running as Kira and Hikaru went out the windows.

"What the-" the Raikage asked as they all took off running with Gaara as he picked up his gourd.

"The Reikage…and Hoshiyama," was all the Sand Master stated before he went along with Naruto.

When they all arrived at the gate they were met by Kokoro. Kankuro stood along with her as they explained what was happening. Apparently the intruders' demands for a meeting were just a front to get inside the village.

"I'm not surprised. This woman doesn't do negotiation. She encounters an obstacle she eradicates it…all of it and anything related to it." Kokoro stated as she went through her tool pouch on her hip and pulled out a case then opened it and pulled out a vial and handed the case to Kankuro, "This is the only one of my poisons they haven't developed an antidote to but I have. The others I haven't developed antidotes to yet and aren't ready for use."

Another explosion went off above them causing Gaara's sand shield to cover them from the falling debris. After it all cleared Gaara and the Kages, Naruto included, went up to the wall to confront the assailants. As they went up he heard the Tsuchikage state something.

"She's a fool to think she can take Suna with only eight others."

"Never underestimate the Shinobi of Hoshiyamagakure." Hikaru stated as he dropped down from a roof carrying his own katana, one of the longest Gaara had ever seen really, "We're very persistent and hard to kill…and she's brought more than just eight. She would never travel that lightly guarded…especially when she's coming after Kira."

The Kazekage looked down at the group of assailants and spotted their leader. She was standing there still as she looked up at him. A dark black tattoo spiraled down her arm to her hand as she stood there with her arms crossed across her chest. Black hair pulled back in a tight ponytail caught in the breeze as did the hem of the short sleeved white robe, worn falling of the shoulders over her black tank top and black pants. Gaara decided that her children definitely took after their fathers as he saw very little of them in her features.

"Return Tsukino Kira to us and we will cease our assault." The woman stated as the Kazekage looked down at her, arms crossed over his own chest, the breeze catching his jacket, "Refuse and we _will_ take her by force. She is more volatile than you could ever realize."

Kira walked up and stood next to Gaara as her mother spoke and looked down at her with a look that greatly resembled the one the Sand Master usually wore. All Hoshiyama eyes turned to Kira as she stood, including those of the Reikage. Fear, revulsion, and hate radiated from them towards her.

"Kira." The Reikage stated, "Come here."

"No." Kira stated defiantly.

"Come."

"I'm not a dog." Kira stated glaring down at the woman that had given birth to her.

"Come here before you hurt more people, Kira." The woman stated.

"Enough people have died because of you." A kunoichi stated to the right of the Reikage.

"Last time you lost control your brother and sister died. Come back and we'll fix your seal." Another stated then gasped as Hikaru and Kokoro walked out from behind the group assembled on the wall, "You're dead…"

"No, we're alive." Kokoro stated as the small force of Hoshiyama shinobi stared confused, "And Kira had nothing to do with our supposed deaths."

"Then…then _who_?" one asked and Hikaru spoke as he glared at the Reikage.

"She did…all the countless lives lost that day, the destruction, the blood, the children, the fires, weren't because of Kira. They were because of _her_!" He stated and the Hoshiyama shinobi looked at her shaking their heads.

"He's lying to protect his sister." A man next to the Reikage stated and Hikaru's attention snapped to him in a glare that made the man shrink back slightly.

"Then how did I get _this_," Hikaru asked as he produced the katana with the etching on it that had almost killed him, "Stabbed through my back?"

"Daichi-sama's…katana…" a blonde kunoichi stated in awe, "It…was lost that night he…"

"Was murdered." The Reikage stated and pointed to Kira as if to remind them why they were all there, "By her."

"By _you_." Kira growled, "You sacrificed him and half the council to seal Kaminari inside me!"

"Father did not die protecting the village from Kaminari! He died, fighting alongside her, to protect it from _you_!" Hikaru spat furiously, "You have dishonored the position and title of Reikage with your lies…"

Gaara saw shock and panic course through the assembled Hoshiyama force. It was as if some of them already knew and feared what would happen as the others realized that what Hikaru was saying was true. Knowing just as well as Hikaru did that this would cause an almost civil war within the village Gaara watched the realization spread across some faces.

"You're going to start a civil war…" Oonoki, the Tsuchikage, stated to Hikaru.

"I have to. If there is going to be any peace at all in this world Hoshiyama cannot be led by her."

"You…sacrificed…Sandaime-sama…" the blonde stated slowly as she backed away from the Reikage, "You…trait-"

Next thing anyone knew the kunoichi slumped forward dead as the Reikage drove her katana through the woman. The Kages stood in slight shock as they watched.

"Wrong." The Reikage stated and looked at her son, "I didn't sacrifice Daichi. Sealing the Juubi required more than just one sacrifice…she was too powerful. To seal the Juubi I sacrificed Daichi…and half the council."

**A/N: There you go, not too terribly exciting in my opinion but some interesting revelations. Next Chapter should hopefully be out soon. Most likely as soon as my brain stops imagining A and Killer Bee sounding like two versions of Mr. T…that's also the reason why Bee didn't appear in this chapter. He gets a grand entrance next one if I can stop imaging him as a blond Mr. T.**


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